Don't Tune Out Scam Warnings
National Consumer Protection Week, March 2 – March 8, is a perfect time to think about the best way to protect yourself from scams and fraud. If you read my columns, follow the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) on social media, or subscribe to our biweekly newsletter Inside the Star you may feel like we give you a lot of content about scams. We have to – because scams are an ever-increasing problem, and the methods that criminals use are always evolving. Make sure you don’t tune out the anti-scam messages.
If someone snatches your purse at the grocery store or breaks into your vehicle, we can usually solve that crime. Local criminals who are known to our deputies and detectives, who invariably leave behind fingerprints, DNA, or get captured on camera, are caught with relative ease. But most financial scams involve overseas actors, complicated online trails, and currencies such as gift cards or crypto that are difficult to trace and often impossible to retrieve. It is an unfortunate fact that when a scammer gets their hands on your hard-earned money, there’s a good chance we won’t be able to get it back for you. That is why it is so important that PCSO continues to educate you about scam avoidance.
A scam can come from anywhere. It might be an email or text that at first glance looks like it is from a friend or legitimate company but actually contains a link that will allow a scammer to get your personal information if you click it. You could be trying to pay for parking by scanning a QR code, only to find that someone printed out a fake QR code and slapped it over the real one, or you could swipe your card in a payment terminal that has a card skimmer attached. A phone call that sounds like a family member might even be an impersonation created by sophisticated artificial intelligence.
PCSO devotes a lot of time to keeping you informed about a wide variety of scams, from romance scams to the SunPass scam, unexpected package scam, mystery shopper scam, and many, many more. Don’t let that saturation make you numb to our warnings. There are an almost infinite variety of scams, but most share some common characteristics. When you see these warning signs, steer clear, hang up, don’t click, and don’t provide any information:
Scammers will try to appear legitimate. A quick glance at a website or email address might look like it is from Amazon or Walmart, but if you examine it closely, you’ll see the address is just a little off. There may be misspellings or bad grammar on the site.
Scammers create urgency. They’ll tell you that you’ll be arrested, have your power cut off, or your bank account frozen unless you pay them, give them your password, or follow a link immediately. Pause to independently verify that what they are saying is true.
Scammers want non-traditional payment. The IRS will never ask you for crypto, and utility companies will never want you to pay your bill with gift cards.
The Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Advice website contains useful information about keeping yourself safe from fraud. Even if you think you are too smart to be a victim, anyone can click a link or be fooled by AI if they’re not paying attention. Talk to your friends and family about scams, especially older people who may not be as savvy about scams using social media or technology. In the old days, a scammer was a conman who you met face to face. Today they may be someone in a foreign country, or a shady company, or even a bot programmed to trick you. Stay alert, stay suspicious, and keep yourself safe.
