Washington County Sheriff’s Office Warns Residents of Ongoing Phone Scams
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Posted by: Staff
Date: Oct 03 2022 3:40 PM
WASHINGTON COUNTY, FL; Phone scams have become a nuisance and a threat to financial security for those that are on the receiving end of calls.
Washington County Sheriff, Kevin Crews, is warning residents of scammers who are contacting you by phone wanting personal information and/or information pertaining to your bank account.
Sheriff Crews offers the following tips to avoid becoming a victim:
-Never give your personal identification information over the phone or computer. You may make an exception if you initiated the call or contact and you are certain that you are talking to a trustworthy employee of a trustworthy business.
-Never wire money or send cash through the mail to get more money back (sweepstakes or lottery), or help someone get out of a bad situation such as an arrest, or a broken down vehicle. Especially if the person requesting the money is not known to you personally, or the person called and claimed to be a distant relative, etc. Numerous people have been scammed out of thousands of dollars by people who claim to be a grandchild that needs to be bonded out of jail.
“Scammers will go to great lengths to get what they want,” says Sheriff Crews. “It is important to remain alert and to warn other family members who may be vulnerable to these calls.”
“If you are contacted by a person who threatens you with legal action or arrest, in order to obtain information, the call is fraudulent,” states Crews. “Do not give them your social security number or banking information. Hang up the phone immediately.”
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