Robbed…by the Sheriff: How to Avoid Being Scammed

Here are two examples of how people close to me were scammed and some steps you can take to protect yourself from something similar happening to you!

 

It Starts with an Unexpected Call.

 

Last week, my friend’s schedule was upended when she received a call from the county Sheriff’s office stating that she had missed her jury summons and now had two class C misdemeanors– failure to appear and avoidance of civic duty. Admittedly, I don’t know whether those are actual misdemeanors, but as a lay-person, they certainly sound legitimate to me! As a result, she needed to bring the fine/bond of $2800 to the office immediately. My friend is sharp, so she hung up and redialed the number listed on her phone (which came up as her County’s Sheriff) and it was answered as the County Sheriff’s office! The scammer even used the real name of the county sheriff, so a google search would have yielded the correct name, though a different phone number than what came up on her caller ID.

 

Hearing that indeed, it was the Sheriff’s number, she proceeded to get the money in the form they requested- MoneyPaks. As a financial professional, I’m slightly embarrassed to say, but I’d never heard of them! MoneyPaks are prepaid cards you buy from most supermarkets and drug stores but you must use cash, no credit cards! Of note, when my friend went to Walgreens to get them, they had a policy of loading a maximum of $500. Unfortunately, the other store she went to (a Kroger-brand) had no such policy and allowed her to get the other $2300, loading up four cards each with $500 and one with $300, though they did ask if this was being sent to a prison!

 

With cards in hand and on her way to the Sheriff’s office, she received a call, again from the sheriff’s office, asking if she was on her way. Hearing that she had the cards in hand, the scammers let her know she really didn’t need to drive to the office and wait in line, they would let her just give them the numbers off of the back of the cards.

 

By the time she realized what happened, it was too late! Upon speaking with the real Sheriff’s office, they said this scam has been increasingly popular and is happening across the US, and is likely originating from overseas somewhere and has now garnered the attention and oversight of the FBI.

 

Unrelatedly, about 18 months earlier, my father called and asked where I was and if I was okay. Although flattered at his concern, something was clearly not right. He proceeded to ask, incredulously as he already knew the answer if I had recently traveled out of the country.

 

It turns out my Grandmother, 95 at the time, had nearly been scammed out of $20,000. “I” had apparently called her from a prison in Mexico and without giving her many details, claimed I needed the money to get out and needed it ASAP. Fortunately, she had the courage to reach out to my father, despite the caller’s insistence that she tell no one, especially him. This type of scam is particularly common as it targets the elderly.

 

The scam regarding the sheriff may have been random and unrelated to identity theft, or it may have been targeted at my friend. According to the Federal Trade Commission, nearly 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. If you don’t know someone who has been the victim of a scam or identity theft, unfortunately, you will. Identity thieves prey on our emotions and vulnerabilities.

 

Here are 4 steps to help you avoid a potentially devastating attack.

 

1. Lock your credit. For more information and specifics on this process, including the difference between freezing and locking your credit, visit my previous post on the Equifax fallout.
2. Consider using a credit monitoring system such as Lifelock, CreditKarma or Identityguard.
3. Ensure your passwords are secure! So many people want all of their passwords to be the same or similar for ease. While this is easy, it’s also easier for hackers. Consider using a password manager to generate and keep secure passwords for you. Lastpass, Dashlane, or Keeper are highly rated.
4. Don’t take your garbage out the night before. In a previous role, I heard an FBI Agent share one of the ways identity thieves can access your information… through your garbage! If you’re not shredding your sensitive information, make sure you’re not taking out your garbage the night before as thieves can easily reach in and get access to sensitive files.