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. This page describes a few common scams, and further below you will find resources from various government agencies.
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.
If you only received a scam phone call or text, and did not lose anything or give up any compromising information, it becomes difficult to impossible to investigate due to phone spoofing and lack of investigative leads. In those circumstances, we may refer you to report the scam to the FTC or another agency (see further 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 officer or official 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 own personal information 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. Don’t rely on the “Caller ID” to verify legitimacy. Unfortunately, scammers can “spoof” (fake) their phone number to match the agency they’re calling from.
At some point, the scammer will demand or 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 or use of “cash apps”. 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. In some cases, scammers will even send a “courier” to the victim’s residence to collect payment in person.
It can sound scary to get a phone 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 the person says you have a warrant, ask yourself if you’ve done anything recently to justify this claim. Did you actually commit a crime recently, or did you actually 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. Even if they did, they would never ask a payment. Generally, the function of an arrest warrant is only to detain somebody and bring them before a judge in the specified jurisdiction.
- What are they asking for? While legitimate government agencies do offer a variety of payment options (cryptocurrency is apparently an option for some now), agencies would not typically ask for payment via gift cards, prepaid cards, wire transfer, or cash app. They would not offer to send somebody to your home to pick up a payment.
- Ask the “officer” for their identifying information. They should be able to offer their name, ID/badge/identifying 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 legitimate call or not.
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. Or, a person calls “on behalf of” somebody close to you. If it’s supposedly your loved one on the phone, they may sound a little “off”, like maybe they are sick, or maybe it sounds like there’s a poor connection. “They” may tell you personal information about themselves or your loved one, or even provide personal information about you to “prove” who they are. They make excuses for why the call seems suspicious. They claim that they or your loved one 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 before taking any action:
- Do you know where your loved one, 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?
- If the call is “on behalf of” your loved one, get as much detail about the caller as possible. What is their name and position/rank? What agency do they work for, or what agencies are involved? What is their contact information?
- Tell the caller to wait or that you will call them back. Contact people close to your friend or loved one (friends/work/etc) to try and verify the situation before proceeding. If the caller demands that you stay on the line or doesn’t want to provide call-back information, it could be a red flag that they don’t want you to start digging into the situation.
- What are they asking for? Asking for cryptocurrency, gift cards, or use of “cash” apps can all be warning signs.
- Do the persons want you to keep the situation a secret, or not to tell their spouse/other family/etc? A scammer will want 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 hotel/jail/court/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.
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 compromising 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 may prefer to communicate 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.
HOW TO REPORT A SCAM
Every police agency has different policies for responding to scams and fraud. In general, if you lost money or provided compromising information, call the police department and ask about filing a police report. Depending on the circumstances and information available, you may also report scams to the following agencies:
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.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime. It is run by the FBI, the lead federal agency for investigating crime. IC3 is the primary connection between the FBI and the public for receiving and coordination of information related to cyber-enabled crimes, including intrusions, frauds, and scams. If you, or someone you know, is a potential victim of internet fraud, file a complaint with the IC3 at www.ic3.gov.
Federal resources and information:
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Common frauds and scams – https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-frauds-and-scams
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – Tax scams – https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scamsconsumer-alerts or https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/how-to-know-if-its-really-the-irs
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – Robocalls and texts – https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/stop-unwanted-robocalls-and-texts
Social Security Administration (SSA) – Social Security scams – https://www.ssa.gov/scam/
Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA) – general information – https://department.va.gov/privacy/fact-sheet/scammers-calling-how-to-prevent-getting-scammed-over-the-phone/
At the local level, check out these resources:
Washington Courts – Jury Scams – https://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/index.cfm?fa=newsinfo.displayContent&theFile=content/scamAlert
WA Attorney General’s Office – Report Robocalls / Texts / Telephone Scams – https://www.atg.wa.gov/robocall-and-telemarketing-scams
Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts
According to the FTC, credit freezes and fraud alerts can help protect you from identity theft by making it harder for scammers to open new credit accounts in your name. They can also help stop someone who already stole your identity from misusing it again.
There’s no cost to place or lift a credit freeze, and it doesn’t affect your credit score. You don’t have to wait for your Social Security number or other information to be exposed in a data breach or misused by an identity thief to get a credit freeze. Anyone can do it, any time.
To learn more, check out the FTC’s website regarding credit freezes and fraud alerts.