There are some creative new ways that scam artists are finding to cheat the unsuspecting public out of their money, according to the Tehama County District Attorney’s Office. Fake social media pages are being created representing themselves as real local businesses. Customers are told that they’ve won a prize or may be entered into a drawing. The entry form asks for information that facilitates identity theft.
There’s also an elaborate scam involving gift cards. A very convincing email or phone call is received from someone claiming to be with a company like Microsoft or Amazon. They tell the target that their credit card has been compromised with thousands in fraudulent charges. After a series of further phone calls and emails, the victim is eventually told that the only way to clear the credit charges is by purchasing thousands of dollars of gift cards.
There’s also a PG&E scam being perpetrated in Tehama County, with the victim being told that they owe money that needs to be paid immediately or their power will be shut off. A number of familiar favorite scams are still active, including IRS, Social Security, and an insidious deception in which an elderly person is called and told their grandchild is in jail and needs to be bailed out. With any scam, perpetrators can be undone if potential victims simply think it through, hang up, and call whomever the scammer claimed to be.
-Steve Gibson