PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Pennsylvania State Police in Columbia, Carbon, Luzerne, and Monroe counties are warning the public about a recent scam.
Troopers say scammers will contact potential victims by phone and claim that a loved one is in trouble and currently in jail or threaten the possibility of jail, even citing specific names.
Scammers will urge you not to talk to anyone about the situation and explain that your loved one will be released from jail in exchange for cash.
After asking for an address, police say a courier is then sent to pick up the cash.
Officials urge anyone who believes they have been a victim of a scam to contact law enforcement and have it investigated.
State police have offered the following tips to help prevent community members from falling victim to scams:
- Don’t feel pressured to provide payment for something or to someone, do research into it first, run it by a friend or family member.
- Do not give out sensitive information over the phone. Example: social security number or bank account number.
- NEVER place money in your mailbox or at your doorstep for someone to come and pick up.
- Do not give anyone remote access to any of your devices.
- Never make a payment to someone with gift cards – it’s a scam!
- Remember, just because someone says they are from a certain “company,” it doesn’t mean they actually are!
- If you feel a phone call might be a scam or you are being asked for sensitive information – hang up!
- Scams can happen through e-mails also. If there are a lot of misspelled words, it might be a scam. Always look at the e-mail address it was sent from, if you don’t recognize it, don’t ’t respond or open any attachments.
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