The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office has Southern Californians on the alert for a new strain of phone scams that cost one Ojai resident his life savings.
Someone claiming to be a law enforcement agent with the United States Marshals Service called him and told him to send all his money to an out-of-state location.
As KTLA 5 reports, after the Ojai man complied with the instructions, he met with local police and discovered he’d been conned.
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The Sheriff’s Office issued a release warning people to be wary of this and other scams involving government impersonation.
Government impersonation scams on the rise
Their warning is relevant nationwide, as a growing number of con artists impersonating government agents are scamming Americans out of their hard-earning savings.
Last year, the U.S. Marshals Service warned of a spike in similar scams in Cincinnati, as reported on the local station WLWT 5.
Of course, government impersonation scams aren’t limited to phone calls.
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In 2023, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (ICC) reported a spike of more than 60% in online government impersonation scams that robbed 14,190 people — the majority of them older adults — of more than $390 million in savings.
What can you do if you’re scammed?
If you’re the victim of an impersonation scam (whether it’s someone posing as a federal agent, IT professional or a bank rep) you can try to get your money back.
But it’s important to act fast.
The Federal Trade Commision advises that you immediately attempt to stop payment or reverse the financial transaction.
Do this by contacting the relevant credit card company, financial institution, wire transfer company or money transfer app immediately. A credit card company is likelier to do this. If you sent cryptocurrency, you have no chance of recovery.
While you’re dealing with these financial institutions, change your account numbers and freeze your credit so no one can open new credit in your name.
Contact Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion (the three major credit bureaus) to alert them of the scam.
Report the crime to local police and the Federal Trade Commission. This will help authorities investigate these crimes and warn others if fraud is occurring.
How can you avoid being scammed?
Anyone can fall victim to a scam, but you can reduce the odds by following these tips:
- Understand that people can spoof numbers so it looks like they’re calling from a government agency (or bank or even your family). Look up the official phone number to confirm legitimacy and call back if necessary.
- Be aware that no legitimate business or government agency requests payments via cryptocurrency, money transfer app, or wire transfer.
- Do not provide remote access to your financial accounts or account information via phone or email unless you initiated the call.
- Do not wire or give money to someone you don’t know and never mail cash to anyone.
- Talk to a trusted family member or a banker before wiring any money in a transaction you didn’t initiate.
Finally, resist pressure to act quickly. Time pressure is something con artists use to get their victims to hand over cash before they can think things through.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
