With Scammers Targeting Residents, Newtown Police Offer Safety Tips

Press release from the Township of Newtown:

Our police department continues to receive reports of various telephone scams being perpetrated on a daily basis. Unknown offenders will contact residents via their home phone or cell phone in an attempt to use various deceptive techniques, hoping that you will provide them with your personal information. Other ploys used by thieves include convincing you to provide them with money wire transfers, Bitcoin machine deposits, and access to gift cards that they persuaded you to purchase. We would like to provide some tips and advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of the various phone scam ploys used by thieves.

• I.R.S. scam: The caller will say you owe back taxes from years past, or you did not file your taxes correctly.
• PECO scam: They will try and convince you that your bill has not been paid properly. As a result, they will shut down power to your home or business.
• Arrest Warrant Scenario: The offender will say a family member has been arrested, and you must provide bail money in order for them to be released from “custody.”

All these phone scams have one thing in common, which is to convince you to provide the thief with money. Legitimate government agencies, financial institutions, and businesses will never call you and ask for money to be sent to them in the form of gift cards or bitcoin deposits. If anybody requests you to send them money in this sort of fashion, simply hang up. It’s almost certain to be a scam.

Recently, thieves have been posing as employees or managers for companies such as Amazon, Venmo, and Sirius XM. The caller will mention you by name and tell you there was a compromise to your account or you have delinquent payments. They convince you to verify your personal account information, including your social security number and even bank routing numbers associated with your accounts. These different business entities and applications will never ask you to verify your personal information over the phone, since they already have it. If you do give the thief your personal information, they will have full access to your account, banks, and can create years of financial havoc using your name, birthdate, and social security number.

Although the callers sound convincing, do not provide them with your information. Disconnect the phone call and even block the number. You can also place a call or contact the actual business to verify if somebody from the company called you. Also know that law enforcement officers will never instruct you to pay bail in the form of gift cards or Bitcoin transactions. All bail procedures are handled by court personnel, not over the phone with officers requesting money.

Lastly, never go to a Bitcoin machine when instructed to do so. If you are ever asked by anybody over the phone to deposit money into a Bitcoin machine, do not follow through with the request. This is a sure indication of a phone scam. Once a deposit is made into that machine, there is little to no chance of the money being recovered. Always keep in mind that no legitimate bank or financial institution will ask you to provide them money in the form of gift cards, Bitcoin deposits, or out-of-country wire transfers.

This press release was produced by the Township of Newtown. The views expressed here are the author’s own.