Each and every day we each get those “spam”calls. Well the scammers are getting wiser. They are now “spoofing”numbers to make the call look legitimate, of course, you answer.
The Creek County Sheriff's Office recently reported that someone had spoofed their number, making it look like the call is coming from them when it is not. They use a fake name and rank and usually say things like you have missed jury duty, you have a warrant, or something similar that sounds legitimate to the law-abiding citizen. This is not the case.
The sheriff's department wants you to know that Creek County Deputies will never ask for money or personal information over the phone. They will never ask you to meet so you can pay them with gift cards. In reality, you can not pay fines or warrants with Cash App,Venmo, or any other mobile payment apps. And one big red flag is that no deputy is going to call you and tell you that you have a warrant.
If you receive a call that says its from the Creek County Sheriff's office and they ask you any of the above mentioned questions, do not give them any of your personal information, instead ask for theirs: Their name, rank, badge number, or a phone number to call them back, then immediately report it to the sheriff's department. It is always best when you just Hang Up The Phone Immediately.
Also another scam is call vishing. Here is what vishers may sound like.
•“If you do not return this call, you may be arrested. They use urgency to rush people into making unwise decisions.
• We need you account password and PIN # to continue”They ask for vital information they would normally not need if they were for real.
• Another one is “This is your tech support, we noticed there’s a problem with your computer.”
(They make unsolicited calls pretending to be an authority figure or an employee of a company you trust.)
How to protect yourself.
• Call back. If someone claims to be working for an organization you trust, ask for an employee ID # then hang up and call them back using the official numbers you find on line. If they are legitimate, you will be able to reconnect with them.
• Remain suspicious..if a caller claims that it is urgent, pressures you to act quickly, or insists that its not possible to call back and the matter needs to be resolved now, that is probably the biggest sign that they are vishing.
• Look for mistakes… It’s not uncommon for vishers to use leaked data to try and sound authentic, if they are operating with out-of-date information, that is a reason to suspect they are not who they say they are.
• Don’t pick up...If you don’t recognize the phone number, its often safer simply not to answer. Any authentic organization will find other ways to reach you if there’s an emergency.
• Don’t ever share sensitive information. Companies will never ask for passwords or pin numbers or any other sensitive information over the phone. If they are demanding about it, it is most likely a scam.