Tips for Avoiding Scams
We want to provide information to our community when new or popular scams are occurring to help better protect you, your finances, and your peace of mind. Our Financial Crimes Detail would like to make you aware of recent phone or internet scams in an effort to keep our community members informed.
Some of these scams involve job offers, home sales or rentals, and in some cases threats for monies owed to the IRS, or money for a family member that has been arrested or involved in an accident. Other scams involve computer repair or purchases of items from websites such as "Craigslist" or "Offer up."
Please review this information and share it with potential victims such as an elderly family member or friend.
Avoid Becoming a Victim:
- If someone calls claiming you have a warrant out for your arrest, hang up and call your local law enforcement agency to verify. Never call the number provided by the caller or the number that shows up on caller ID.
- If someone calls claiming you owe money to the IRS, hang up and call your local IRS office.
- Law Enforcement agencies and the IRS will never accept wire transfers, money orders, Bitcoin, other cryptocurrency, or gift cards as payment.
- Never give out personal information such as name, date of birth, social security number or bank information to unsolicited callers.
- Never respond to an unsolicited email asking you to confirm personal information such as bank accounts or passwords.
- Be wary of job offers that want you to receive wire transfers or checks and send money somewhere else.
- If someone calls claiming a family member has been involved in an accident or arrested, call a family member and confirm that this is true. Never wire money or pay someone with gift cards before verifying the information.
- Never trust the number that appears on your caller ID. Technology allows fraudsters to fake the caller ID information.
- Understand that wiring money, paying with gift cards or mailing money orders to someone is like sending cash.
Phone scams should be reported to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov. Scams over the internet should be reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. Both websites have additional resources on scams and identity theft.
Long Beach Police Department
Call Police Dispatch at (562) 435-6711 to report suspicious activity or dial 9-1-1 for emergencies.
