More SCAM Information – Our Community Continues to be Victimized
We understand a lot of people are tired of hearing about these SCAMs, but good people continue to fall prey to these criminals, sometimes losing thousands of dollars. Please do not summarily dismiss this as “everyone should know.” Through fear, people of all ages who have never been in trouble or had dealings with legal proceedings are being victimized, and we ask you to help by sharing this information with everyone.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website, victims of all ages lost over 38 MILLION dollars in the First Quarter of 2025, with Government Imposter scams reported as #1! (https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/federal.trade.commission/viz/FraudReports/AgeState)
- Law Enforcement, Courts, and Government Offices will NEVER call, email, text, or contact you in another way and demand IMMEDIATE payment for ANYTHING while THREATENING you with arrest or some other dire consequence.
- ALWAYS contact the law enforcement agency, court, or government office directly with contact information you know or verified yourself to confirm any potential problem. Do NOT use the phone number, email address, or other contact information the scammer provides.
- IF the person contacting you demands you don’t hang up and pay IMMEDIATE, denying you the opportunity to verify the potential problem, IT is a SCAM.
- IF they demand IMMEDIATE payment using prepaid credit cards, cryptocurrency, Apple Pay, or some other non-typical payment means, IT is a SCAM.
IF you’re unsure, for any reason, STOP and VERIFY.
We recently received this FAKE summons from a victim who, unfortunately, lost $4,000. The victim is someone who has never been in any trouble, had dealings with any legal proceedings, and simply believed one of their worst fears was happening. The fear of arrest, large fees/fines, public humiliation, or disappointing their family and friends for committing a (fake) crime.
This is exactly what the scammers count on: FEAR. They demand payment immediately and tell you if you hang up and don’t follow their instructions, you will be immediately arrested, have a criminal record, or pay huge fees/fines. They are persistent and want the potential victim to be fearful and not stop to think.
If in Doubt, Check it Out!
ALWAYS VERIFY!
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This Spokane County Sheriff Office news article "More SCAM Information – Our Community Continues to be Victimized" was originally found on https://www.spokanecounty.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?CID=7