The Pasco Sheriff’s Office receives many calls every day regarding potential scams. Unfortunately, too often, our citizens become victims of these scams. In this month’s newsletter, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office is highlighting the most common type of scams to help prevent you, your family, and your friends from becoming a victim.
Loan Scam
When searching for a personal loan, make sure to be cautious of pop-up websites or phishing emails. A phishing email is a disguised email that makes the receiver believe it is from a legitimate company/source when it is actually sent by scammer. Be alert if someone contacts you offering you a loan when you have not been applying for any. If you are applying for a loan, make sure to look for legitimate companies and be careful when searching for loan companies. Also, do not provide your personal identification information via the internet.
Tax Scam
Our citizens become victimized when a scammer calls the victim and tells them the IRS has identified they owe money. If they do not pay the amount stated then a warrant will be issued and they will be arrested. The IRS is not going to call you and ask you to pay a debt over the phone. Also, they will never ask you to pay them via gift cards. If you receive a call like this, take notes of the phone number they called you from and who they said they were. Do not pay them and contact law enforcement.
Warrant Scam
Callers may claim to be the Pasco Sheriff’s Office (PSO), the Social Security Administration, IRS, FBI, or other local or federal government agencies, and may request information from you or claim that you have a warrant for your arrest. PSO will never discuss warrants with you over the phone, nor will they request payment in the form of gift cards. Citizens who receive such calls should hang up immediately as these calls are scams. Do not follow any instructions the caller provides and do not provide them with any personal information.
Please take a moment to discuss these common scams with friends and loved ones to help us safeguard our community.