Identity theft, scams are on the rise here

Identity theft and scams are on the rise here, local law enforcement says, and new cons are emerging more rapidly.

Over the past few years, the Fayetteville Police Department, along with most other law enforcement agencies, have had to deal with reports of identity theft, scams by mail, telephone and over the internet.

"We all have received some type of letter or email saying we have won an international lottery or an email from someone in a foreign country asking for help to bring a large amount of money into the United States," said Detective Joel Massey of the Fayetteville Police Department.

"Recently, our department received reports of emails being sent to people stating their bank account had been temporarily suspended and would not be reactivated until the recipient clicked on a link to verify their personal information," he said. "This scam is called phishing."

Phishing is a form of online fraud which occurs when someone poses as a legitimate company to obtain sensitive personal data and illegally conduct transactions on your existing accounts.

Usually it occurs in the form of fraudulent emails, text messages or phone calls that appear to come from legitimate sources. These communications appear real and ask a person to call a phone number to reactivate the account.

"Be aware of phone calls to your residence and the caller ID shows the caller is someone you’re familiar with. Technology exists that makes it possible to disguise the phone number of the caller," he said.

"We have had reports of people receiving phone calls telling them they had missed jury duty and that it was possible they were going to be arrested," said Massey.

"The caller asks for their personal information and then assures them they can keep them from going to jail," he added.

"If you get this call, hang up and call the courthouse and check for yourself."

These are just a few examples of the types of scams that are out there, and there are countless others that law enforcement has not seen locally as of yet.

Massey advised, "Never give your full name, date of birth, social security number, account numbers or any other information to anyone on the phone or internet or by mail that you did not contact directly. Even when you contact them directly, let them pull your account using your name and security information when possible. If it is someone you do business with regularly, they will have the information already."

If someone tells you that you’ve won or inherited something that you have no idea about, ask them what law firm they use or who is their representative at the gaming commission. They probably won’t give you any information, because there won’t be any, he explained.

"You never send money to make, inherit or win money," he added.

"Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

Anyone who received these types of communications and has questions should contact their financial institution or law enforcement before becoming a victim of a scam.