The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office reminds all citizens to be vigilant against scams. The following are some common, ongoing scams:
* Email and phishing scams:
"Please be aware of an increase in email-based attacks and suspicious emails, even if they are sent from a known contact.If an email arrives from a known contact, but includes links/attachments/CLICK HERE buttons, you should exercise due diligence to confirm the legitimacy of the email. Reach out to the contact in person or by phone to confirm they are the sender before opening. This includes things like prayer chains and COVID-19 information.
-Do not open suspicious emails
-Do not click links contained within
-Do not post sensitive information online, or provide usernames, passwords and/or personal information to any unsolicited request."
* Scams related to federal stimulus checks:
From the Federal Trade Commission:
"1. The government will not ask you to pay anything up front to get this money. No fees. No charges. No nothing.
2. The government will not call to ask for your Social Security number, bank account, or credit card number. Anyone who does is a scammer.
3. These reports of checks aren’t yet a reality. Anyone who tells you they can get you the money now is a scammer.
So, remember: no matter what this payment winds up being, only scammers will ask you to pay to get it. If you spot one of these scams, please tell the Federal Trade Commission: www.ftc.gov/complaint.
* IRS Scam:
The caller is an individual posing as an IRS agent, or law enforcement official collecting debts on behalf of the IRS, in attempt to extort money. The perpetrators will identify themselves as either IRS Agents, or members of law enforcement and will inform the person receiving the call they have overdue taxes and will demand the bill be paid immediately. The caller will want the citizen to pay the overdue bill either through a wire transfer or via a prepaid debit card. In the event the person refuses to pay, the caller will often threaten arrest or suspension of the person’s driver’s license. Some of these callers may actually “spoof” the telephone number of the IRS or local law enforcement, to appear legitimate, as the number will show IRS or law enforcement on caller ID. In an effort to add further legitimacy, the caller may provide personal information they were able to obtain from public sources or social media. Warning signs of a financial scam may include requesting payment immediately, agreeing to work secretly to avoid embarrassment, or directing payment go through third parties or via unconventional methods such as gift cards.
* Arrest Scam:
The caller poses as a member of the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office and uses names of actual employees as well as "spoofs" local numbers to add legitimacy. The caller will threaten arrest for various infractions or claim to need your assistance on an urgent matter. These can also be in the form of text messages. Ultimately, the individual will seek some sort of gift card or personal information or a bank transfer.
The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office will not call or text threats of arrest, if you don't pay a fine for missing jury duty, owe back taxes, or to ask for monetary assistance. The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office nor any government agency will ask for payment or assistance in the form of gift cards. Never provide personal information over the phone.
If you have been the victim of a scam and wish to file a report please contact the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office at (301) 475-8008 or file a report online at https://www.firstsheriff.com/citizenreport/
