Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Warns to Be Cautious of Scam Calls

The Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office wants you to be aware of what to look for in scam calls.

There is always someone out there trying to trick you into giving them some money. These scammers have gotten very creative throughout the years. There are countless ways in which people can scam you out of money. It's hard not only to keep up with them, but also to decipher what is legitimate and what is a scam.

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There's a long list of ways people will try to scam you over the phone. It's no secret that scammers have gotten really good at tricking people. Throughout the years, we have shared several examples of some of these phone scams, such as: phone numbers linked to scammers, a text scam that wipes out your bank account, area codes attached to scammers, how you are getting scam calls from someone in your contacts, and some tips to identify texting scams.

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The Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office took to Facebook to warn that scammers are always adapting their methods of stealing personal information. While these scammers have become more creative, one thing remains constant: they seek your personal or financial information, or may try to convince you to make a payment, sometimes even requesting Bitcoin or other unusual methods. That alone should be enough of a red flag to be suspicious.

According to the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office's post on Facebook, if you receive a phone call, text, or email asking for sensitive information:

• Do NOT respond.
• Hang up or delete the message.
• Contact the business or organization directly using a trusted number or website that you know to be correct to verify the request.
•  If you lost money, call 911 to make a police report.
• If you did provide information, please file a complaint with the Indiana Attorney General’s Office: indianaconsumer.com
  No legitimate agency will ever ask for personal or financial info over the phone, in a link by text or in an email.

The Attorney General’s Office says to block unwanted calls or add your number to the office’s do-not-call list. However, you can't avoid the risks of scammers completely. Therefore, it's important to educate yourself and your loved ones about things to be cautious about.

First things first, avoid answering yes or no questions and never give out personal information. If the caller asks you to hit a button on your phone, just hang up. Another thing that you can do if you receive a call from one of your contacts and it seems a little off (especially if you aren't sure if it's legit or them) is to tell the caller that you will call them back in a second. Then, go into your phone to call your contact to confirm if it was them or not. If you think you've been the victim of a spoofing scam, you can file a complaint with the FCC.