Scam alert: Scammers are calling Maryland residents pretending to be the Prince George's County Sheriff's Office and demanding money.
Scam calls are an unfortunate part of the modern day. Many people do not even pick up their phone anymore unless they know the phone number. Scams such as the newest one coming out of Prince George's County are part of the reason why. The Prince George's County Sheriff's office is urging media outlets to share their scam alert to prevent victims from giving the scammer money. The sheriff's office released a scam alert on Monday. The office has received calls from multiple people saying that they received a call from a number claiming to be them and demanding payment through wire transfers or gift cards. [caption id="attachment_8347" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Courtesy of WTVQ-TV[/caption]
Scammers will often pretend to be in positions of power such as law enforcement and the Internal Revenue Service to intimidate victims. Scammers also often ask for gift cards because it is a quick and untraceable way to get money from a victim. Further, once you give a scammer the gift card information it is usually impossible to get your money back. The Federal Trade Commission has said they have seen a spike in scams involving gift cards.
It is important to be wary if you receive a suspicious call. The sheriff's office warns Maryland residents to beware of calls such as these.
"The Office of the Sheriff does not make phone calls on behalf of the courts regarding jury duty, nor do we ask citizens for money...Please do not engage these individuals over the phone because they are attempting to obtain your personal information for their financial gain," the sheriff's office said in a blog post.
The sheriff's office is asking victims to hang up and then contact them at 301-772-4420 to file an incident report.
What do you think? Have you received any calls like this recently? Share your experience with us in the comments below, and let's get the conversation started.
