Scam Calls Rise With Holidays, Don't Fall For Them: Brick Police

BRICK, NJ — As the holiday season kicks into gear, scam calls kick up, too. Brick Township police are reminding residents to not fall prey to these calls, and are urging you to remind friends, neighbors and senior relatives.

Senior citizens are favored targets of scam callers, but anyone can be approached.

"Scammers disguise their calls by using programs that show the real phone numbers or names on a caller ID," Brick police said in a post on Facebook. "Even if the caller ID shows a company's name, like 'Comcast' or 'Social Security Administration' or 'Internal Revenue Service,' that doesn't mean you're actually on the phone with that organization."

Brick police reiterated that government entities such as the IRS, the Social Security Administration, Medicare, will not call you to tell you that your benefits are in jeopardy, or that there is a warrant for your arrest, or to ask for money.

Businesses such as New Jersey Natural Gas and Jersey Central Power & Light do not accept payments via gift cards of any kind.

"If someone on the other end of the line is telling you that you need to go to the store and purchase a gift card of some sort, it's a scam. Don't do it!" the post said.

"In fact, anytime someone calls you and asks you for money, no matter what the circumstances, you should be suspicious," police said. "Call a family member, friend, or the police to help you determine if the call is a scam before you send money to anyone."

Brick police shared a video from the Better Business Bureau to help educate senior family members, friends and neighbors to help them avoid being a victim of a scam. Read more about some of the scams here: Scammers Scare, Extort Millions From Your Aging Parents In NJ

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