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Eagle County Sheriff’s Office: Watch out for phony law enforcement scammers

Scammers are posing as law enforcement in one of the latest frauds making the rounds

Scammers are posing as senior law enforcement officers and demanding money. It's a scam, the Eagle County Sheriff's Office says.
Special to the Daily
To spot a scam  

No, that’s not local law enforcement calling you to demand money. It’s probably a scammer.

“Scammers have most recently started to call posing as senior members of our law enforcement teams,” the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release. Scammers threaten to arrest you and demand direct payments to remove warrants for failure to appear, or for being in contempt of court. That’s not true, the Sheriff’s Office said.

“This is simply NOT how we do business. If something seems suspicious, hang up and call back directly to a trusted source for confirmation,” the Sheriff’s Office said.



High pressure? It’s probably a scam

The Federal Trade Commission says “a caller who creates a sense of urgency or uses high-pressure tactics is probably a scam artist.”

Scammers posing as law enforcement is one of several reports that local police receive. Scammers also pose as phone and tech support, email, virtual reality kidnapping, and claim family members are in jail.

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“Tech support scammers want you to believe you have a serious problem with your computer, like a virus,” the Federal Trade Commission says in “How to Spot and Avoid Scams.”

“They want you to pay for tech support services you don’t need, to fix a problem that doesn’t exist. They often ask you to pay by wiring money, putting money on a gift cardprepaid card or cash reload card, or using a money transfer app because they know those types of payments can be hard to reverse,” the FTC says.

Refund or warranty scams are also prevalent. A caller asks if you were happy with a service. When you say you weren’t, the scammer offers a refund. But instead of returning money to your account, they withdraw money.

The Federal Trade Commission says a house-flipping scam scheme is among the latest get-rich-quick scams.

“If someone promises that you can earn a lot of money with little risk, time, or effort, that’s a sign of a scam,” the FTC said in announcing a lawsuit with the Utah Division of Consumer Protection against Zurixx, a real estate investment company.

“Scams are more common today than ever and we urge you to educate yourself before they target you and your family,” the Sheriff’s Office said.

Scams come from phone calls, emails, and mailings. They can be difficult to recognize, but the scammers’ goal is usually gaining access to personal information, home computers, and financial accounts.

“It is extremely important to never provide financial or personal information to anyone over the phone, and to notify law enforcement if you receive any type of computer or phone call that may be considered suspicious or threatening,” the Sheriff’s Office said.


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