BROOKFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) – As the holidays are approaching, Brookfield police want to make sure people are aware of phone scams after receiving several reports in the past few days.
Chief Aaron Kasiewicz said they’ve received two different reports in the past two days that were initiated over the phone. The first victim was scammed out of more than $2,000 stemming from an unsolicited call about a vacation package.
“Anybody seeking you out to sell you something that you never signed up for or never sought out yourself that’s a big red flag,” Kasiewicz said.
A Subway employee fell victim to the second scam. The store received a call from a scammer posing as a police officer who was investigating counterfeit money. Police say the employee was talked into taking more than $600 from the register to a nearby Dollar General to purchase Cash App and Green Dot cards.
“It’s hard to track those because anybody can go and purchase one of those cards and deposit money from another card onto it,” Kasiewicz said. “I’ve been in law enforcement for almost 25 years and never called somebody to have them go and send us money on any type of card.”
Investigators suggest that if you do receive on of these calls, do a little research and check with police.
“Ask questions. Call back and verify. Call us. Anything you can do to ensure that it is a legitimate phone call,” Kasiewicz.
The Federal Trade Commission says there are four signs to quickly determine a scam:
- Scammers pretend to be from an organization you know like the government. They may even use real names or make up a name that sounds official. They could also pretend to be from a business like a utility company, tech company or charity. Keep in mind, they can make the number they are calling from look legitimate on your called ID.
- Scammers will say there is a problem or a prize. They will say you are in trouble or there is a problem with one of your accounts or you have a virus on your computer. Some will tell you that you’ve won money.
- Scammers will pressure you to act quickly and they may threaten to arrest you or that you need to act quickly to secure your account or stop your computer from being compromised.
- Scammers tell you to pay in a certain way using gift cards, cryptocurrency or payment apps. They can also have you use wire services like MoneyGram or Western Union. Some may send you a check (that will later turn out to be fake) and then tell you to deposit it and send them money.
For more ways to recognize a scam and block unwanted calls, visit the FTC website.
