AUGLAIZE COUNTY, Ohio (WDTN) – The Auglaize County Sheriff’s Office is asking residents to be more diligent with protecting themselves from scams.
The office said that in the past few months, it has taken several scam reports with the total financial loss nearing over $100,000.
Below are a few of the many tactics scammers use, according to the sheriff’s office:
- Pretend to be from an organization you know, or from companies that you own products from (Amazon, eBay, Walmart)
- They will tell you there is either a problem or a prize, asking you to pay an amount to clear your name or pay fees to obtain a prize. “Pay to Win” is a good sign it’s too good to be true
- Scammers act with urgency, using fear and intimidation to force you into making a poor decision. They will also tell you that you cannot discuss the incident with family, banks, accountants, law enforcement or you will be in further trouble
- They seek payment in odd, untraceable ways such as requiring a person to purchase gift cards and send them the photos of the pin numbers immediately
- Scammers will call and say they are from Microsoft or another technology company and say there is an issue with your computer. They will then instruct you over the phone on how to go to a website to access your computer remotely. Once they have control of your computer, they will seek out financial information to exploit you
- Scammers can “spoof” phone numbers which make it appear that an organization is calling from their real number. If you have a bad feeling, hang up and call the number back directly
The sheriff’s office said scammers will attack on all fronts through phone calls, emails, texts messages and written letters. To avoid their tactics, the office said you should never give out any personal information over the phone and if you feel someone is trying to scam you, talk to someone you trust so you can run the information by them.