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The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office issued an alert on Thursday, Aug. 19 to advise residents of Dutchess County and surrounding areas about scams that once again seem to be on the rise.
According to law enforcement officials, the latest scam involves victims receiving an email about an order they’ve placed with a number to call with questions, and because they never placed an order the victim calls the number to speak with someone.
Once the fake Amazon employees have the victim on the phone they ask for banking information or convince the victim to transfer money, and are then able to steal money from the account using the information or the transfer.
“Scams are ways in which criminals will attempt to get money from people by contacting them and making up elaborate stories. In some cases the perpetrators have tried, sometimes successfully, to use the victim’s emotions about a loved one in trouble to get money,” officials said.
“It’s common for the perpetrators of these scams to try to get money by telling people that one of their relatives has been seriously hurt or is in jail, and that they need money right away,” they continued. "In many cases they will pose as a law enforcement official or another relative to try and convince the victim that it’s legitimate.”
Tips to avoid becoming a victim, according to the Sheriff’s Office, include:
- If you receive an email about an order you didn’t place or asking you to send money call the company using a legitimate number. Do not follow the instructions in the email or call the number provided in the email;
- If someone asks you to purchase merchandise, transfer money, provide bank information, or enter a code given to you by them use caution as it is likely a scam;
- Do not meet up with someone that you don’t know; if you’re asked to do this it is surely a scam, and it is very dangerous as well;
- If you’re contacted by someone you don’t know asking for money, for any reason, that’s a signal that it’s most likely a scam;
- If someone calls you and tells you that a relative has been hurt or is in jail, confirm it first before sending any money. Call other relatives or a legitimate law enforcement agency for confirmation before any money is sent. If they’re posing as a relative, try and contact that relative for confirmation;
- Sending money overseas is especially risky; use extreme caution;
- Ask the person for their call back number and ask to speak to their supervisor to confirm the info; if it’s a scam they will most likely hang up at this point and the number they give you will be bogus;
- If the person is telling you that a loved one is in the hospital or jail, find out which one and contact the institution yourself to confirm;
- If a loved one has recently passed away be wary; in some cases, perpetrators have even preyed on victims by searching through the obituaries and calling surviving loved ones. If you get calls from people you don’t know soon after someone passes away, be careful and confirm it before you send any money;
- In some cases, someone will call and tell the victim that they’ve won money, but to “process the claim” they need to first send money. Beware this is most definitely a scam and don’t send any money – you should never have to pay money to claim a prize. If it seems too good to be true, it most likely is;
- If there’s any doubt about a phone call or email you’ve received contact the Sheriff’s Office before sending any money;
- Scams tend to increase during the holiday season, be especially alert for them during those times.
"It is very important to not send any money to anyone that you don’t know until you’ve confirmed the situation through an independent source and feel comfortable with it," according to the Sheriff's Office. "If it’s a scam once the money is sent it’s very difficult, and most times impossible, to get it back."
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