We want you be to safe and financially secure – our general recommendation is to never give your personal or financial information to anyone you do not know or trust, either in person, over the phone, or on-line.
If you have been a victim of a scam and either provided compromising personal information, or you lost something of value (money, identity, etc) to the scammer, call non-emergency police dispatch at 253-287-4455 or 1-800-562-9800 (or 911 if there’s an emergency situation) and ask about making a police report. However, if you only received a scam phone call, and did not lose anything or give up any personal information, it becomes difficult to impossible to investigate due to phone spoofing and lack of investigative leads, and we may refer you to report the scam to the FTC or another agency below.
There are generally three types of scams which get reported most often to us:
Law Enforcement or Other Government Impersonators (“You have a warrant”)
How it starts: The caller identifies themselves as an official or officer from a law enforcement agency, court, prosecutor’s office, or some other “official government agency”. They will often claim that you either 1) failed to report for jury duty, or 2) committed some crime or violation, and a warrant has or will be issued for your arrest, deportation, etc. The caller will sometimes have and recite your personal information to give an air of legitimacy to “prove” their call is legitimate. Or, they may ask you to provide your personal information, such as social security number, to “prove” that you are (or are not) the person they are after. Unfortunately, scammers will usually “spoof” (fake) their phone number to match the agency they’re calling from.
At some point, the scammer will likely ask for payment in some form. Depending on the sophistication of the scammer, they may be very direct about asking for payment, or they may be vague and take a more nuanced, drawn-out approach. They may make strange or ridiculous-sounding requests for “payment”, such as Apple Store gift cards. Others may be more direct and ask for bank, credit/debit card, or other financial information. Some may offer to send you a “verified” or “official” letter overnight with “paperwork” and will try to get you to return “payments” back to them.
It can sound scary to get a call like this, but there are usually tell-tale signs it’s a scam. Here’s what you can look out for and how to verify a legitimate contact:
- If they say you have a warrant, ask yourself if you’ve done anything recently to justify this claim. Did you actually commit a crime recently, or skip jury duty? If you’re a law-abiding citizen, and their claim sounds weird or crazy, it probably is. If you really had a warrant, and the police or other law enforcement were actively looking for you, they probably wouldn’t call you first.
- What are they asking for? While some government agencies offer a variety of payment options (cryptocurrency is apparently an option for some now), agencies would not typically ask for payment via gift cards or prepaid cards specifically.
- Ask the “officer” for their identifying information. They should be able to offer their name, ID or badge number, and department/agency. Call that agency using a trusted or known phone number and ask to speak to that officer or their supervisor. Explain the situation and you’ll likely find out quickly whether it was a scam.
Family or Friend Impersonators (“Mom/Dad/Grandma/Grandpa/Best Friend, I need help”)
How it starts: You get a phone call from someone who says they are your close family member or friend and they need help. They sound a little “off”, like maybe they are sick, or it’s a really poor connection. They may tell you personal information about themselves, or even about you, to “prove” who they are. They make excuses for why the call seems suspicious. They claim that they got robbed or into some other unfortunate situation, and need money to get home, get out of jail, etc.
These calls can be emotionally intense, and scammers often build in a sense of urgency to get you to act quickly without thinking too hard about it. However, do the best you can to verify the information:
- Do you know where your family member or friend is supposed to be? Are they actually supposed to be in Mexico on vacation like they say they are? Are they supposed to be at work or somewhere else?
- Tell the caller to wait, and contact people close to your friend or family member (friends/work/etc) to try and verify the situation.
- What are they asking for? Asking for cryptocurrency, gift cards, or use of “cash” apps can all be warning signs.
- Do they want you to keep their situation a secret, or not to tell their spouse/other family/etc? A scammer wants to keep this between you and them to make sure nobody else can interfere.
- If the person is saying they need hotel money, bail money, etc, offer to contact the agency yourself (look up a trusted or known phone number) or ask for further details. A scammer may not want to get too detailed and may try to redirect the conversation back to payment.
Employment Scams (“Here’s a check to get you started, but…”)
Similar to other scams, these scams tend to vary greatly in sophistication and detail, but the goal is always the same – to get your personal information or your money. Some of the cases we’ve seen involve fake checks, where a “recruiter” or “manager” sends a check to cover equipment, set-up costs, first paycheck, etc. When the check comes, it is sometimes written for an amount more than what was agreed upon. The scammer then claims a mistake was made, or makes some other excuse for what happened. They will ask the victim to cash/deposit the check anyways, but send the “unintended” portion back immediately (or before the check even arrives) via wire transfer or other time-sensitive method. Later the check bounces, leaving the victim liable for the entire amount. Here are some additional red flags to look out for:
- If something seems too good to be true, unfortunately it might be.
- Always do your research on any potential employer and attempt to verify information. Call or contact the company using a trusted or known phone number and ask questions if you feel something is not right.
- Be wary of contact coming from what looks like non-company or personal email and phone numbers.
- Scammers will often prefer communicating in non-personal ways, such as email, text, or instant message, and may refuse or redirect requests to meet or conduct a voice or video call.
- Scam companies may ask you to pay “invoices” for items or equipment which they promise to reimburse you for.
- Scammers will often ask applicants to pay screening fees, set-up fees, or other up-front costs. Be careful about what personal information you send, and to whom.
Where can I find more information? At the federal level, a number of government agencies offer helpful information and methods to report fraud and scams:
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) conducts enforcement and other activity related to topics such as consumer protection, unfair or deceptive marketplace practices, and promoting fair competition. The FTC offers a robust consumer advice website located here, and you can report scams and fraud directly. When we are unable to take a report regarding a scam call, we may direct you to the FTC to file a complaint/report of the scam. They have a specific page about recognizing phone and other scams here.
If you are a victim of identity theft, in addition to filing a local police report for identity theft, visit IdentityTheft.gov, the “federal government’s one-stop resource for identity theft victims” operated by the FTC.
Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB)
The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a United States government agency which aims to “protect consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices and take action against companies that break the law. “[The CFPB] arm[s] people with the information, steps, and tools that they need to make smart financial decisions.” They offer a range of consumer protection resources, including web pages dedicated to fraud and scams.
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
The IRS has a variety of useful information on its website regarding tax and other financial scams. Visit their web page “how to know if it’s really the IRS” for more information on identifying official IRS communications.
At the local level, check out these resources:
Jury Scams
Check out jury scam information at the Washington Courts and Pierce County websites.
Scam Alerts – WA ATG
The Washington Attorney General’s Office (ATG) has a webpage dedicated to scam alerts.