BIPD gives tips on avoiding scams

Scammers don’t take time off for the holidays. In fact, they can be as busy as ever.

One that has been going on during COVID-19 disruptions in our daily lives involves fraudsters filing unemployment benefits using the identity of others. Cybercrime scams also are becoming more common.

The Bainbridge Island Police Department provides a number of tips on its website to help people avoid scams.

Following are a number of them:

• Scammers want to instill fear. It might be fear of arrest, of getting your power shut off or of missing out on an incredible opportunity, award or investment. They try to convince you time is of the essence.

• Some scammers ask you to make restitution in the form of gift cards, instruct you to send cash tucked in a magazine or wire money to an odd location.

• Did you get a check in the mail you weren’t expecting? Sometimes scammers will contact you and say they accidentally gave you too much. They instruct you to deposit the worthless check and pay them the difference. By the time your bank tells you the check bounced, they’ve already taken your money.

• Depending on what software you use, a sender’s email address might display two things: the address (e.g. exampleaddress@example.com) and/or a username (e.g. John Doe). Scammers might impersonate someone you frequently communicate or conduct business with. They might mimic your associate’s email address, changing only one character (e.g. exambleaddress@example.com), while keeping the same username. At a glance, you might not notice the discrepancy. They’ll ask you to make a change, like sending money to a new or different account.

• These are sometimes posted to sites like Craigslist or via social media. They might even include a legitimate address and name of a legitimate Realtor or agency. Once contacted, the scammer will likely ask for a deposit or some other form of payment. They might even offer a bank account to wire or deposit the payment into.

*Some scammers call and pretend to represent a law enforcement entity, and say that one of your relatives was arrested. Sometimes, they even impersonate that relative over the phone. They ask for bail money, court fees, claim they have to pay fines. Sometimes they even threaten to arrest you or say there is a warrant for your arrest.

• Scammers might impersonate companies and agencies. They threaten you with consequences if a mistake or oversight is not corrected immediately. Be aware that the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration would never contact you by phone or by email. They make it clear they always correspond through the U.S. Mail.

• Scammers try to make you believe you are receiving some sort of inheritance or prize but in order to collect, you need to prepay fees or taxes.

• Some scammers claim over the phone there’s an issue with your computer. They ask you to log on and then tease information out of you while you’re trying to help them “fix” the problem. They may ask you for your password, or other personal information.

Tips

*Tell callers that you are going to verify the information they provided and call them back.

*Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion.

*Don’t give away personal information.

*If you’ve been scammed, report it.