Scams Pose As Local Pastor, Sheriff: Warning

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Two scams have circulated in the county in recent days. One is a phone scam claiming the resident is wanted by the sheriff's office after missing jury duty, while the other has thieves counting on the helpful nature of local residents to send gift cards to scammers posing as a pastor, warn police. The new email scam was reported to authorities Wednesday by a resident who received an email from someone posing as a religious leader, and asking for a favor.

In some cases the con artist used a picture of a local pastor in the email. The scammer asked the victim to help a person in the hospital by purchasing gift cards and sending the numbers from the cards back to the scammer.

"Of course it's natural to want to help, but please always try to verify the source before sending money or gifts," Anne Arundel County Police said on Facebook. "It only takes a minute to double check by reaching out to the requester directly, preferably by phone. The religious institutions affected are notifying their respective congregations."

Annapolis Police said Friday that a jury scam targets residents whoreceive a phone call from someone identifying themselves as from the Sheriff's Office. They are told they've missed jury duty for a federal courtcase and the caller pressures them to share personal information that can be used for fraudulent activity.

If you receive a phone call like this do not give give out any personal or account information, police say. hang up and call the department at 410-268-4141.

How to Spot a Scam Email:

In general, it's best not to click on links that come in unsolicited emails. Instead, says the Better Business Bureau, go to your browser and search for the organization if you want more information.

• Check out the "From" field: Scammers hide email addresses, making the message appear to come from a legitimate source. Look out for email addresses that don't match the brand used in the email message.
• Watch for typos, strange phrasing and bad grammar. Scammers can easily copy a brand's logo and email format, but awkward wording and poor grammar are a sign that the message is a scam.
• Hover over URLs to reveal their true destination. Typically, the hyperlinked text will say one thing, but the link will point somewhere else. Scammers either set up fake websites or hack into third-party sites and use them to host malware.

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Image via Stuart Miles/Shutterstock