Scams

We've received many calls over the years about (alleged) family members requesting money from a grandparent, for example, to be used for bail money. The caller is convincing that they require immediate bail money to get out of jail for some type of crime in which they were in a set-up and that they are innocent. Of course, the caller has explanations for a lot of discrepancies, such as blaming the voice difference on a medical issue related to a crash.

These callers scam victims for a living/ business, so they've thought out the scenario and any possible excuses. They are convincing and have a likely excuse for almost anything.

When family goes on vacation, create a "code word" that only you and your family know. Do not fall for any of these scenarios, no matter how convincing they are.

With all of the discussion lately about two-factor authentication and the importance of its use, this scammer has decided to use that topic in this email. In fact, some companies are now requiring users to activate two-factor authentication. This email claims to be from Microsoft, which is a big proponent of two-factor. The attachment has webpage(s) that the victim is expected to go to for two-factor activation. This email screams scam. First, the address is obviously not associated with Microsoft. Secondly, note odd fonts in emails; look at the very top ("suspension Info") is in an odd font. Also note that the grammar in this email is terribly composed.

(Black lines through texts in this photo were done by the WPD to keep the business name confidential).

We took a report from a citizen informing us of the following scam:

A male, Charles Gray, called a Waukon business to inform the owner that their credit card, which was on autopay, was declined. The male posed as an employee of QuickBooks. He had the victim's name, phone number, and the knowledge (or assumption) that she used QuickBooks. He said that he was calling to verify her email address, credit card number, and the banking information associated with the account. The victim said that it was a likely scenario as the company had just received a new credit card recently, which would cause the old card on file to decline.

The caller used the following phone number: 442-263-4611, which is a California-based number.

The business relies on QuickBooks, so there was a desire to fix the issue immediately.

The victim called QuickBooks after the phone call. They confirmed that they would not call for payment. A lot of subscription-based websites also would not call. If you receive a call like this, don't provide any information and instead go onto the website to check payment, update payment, etc.

This victim received a text message indicating that they had an unpaid toll. The amount ($6.99) is so small that most people would click the link and pay it just so they can forget about it. Looking closely, the URL (web address) within the text message ends with .top/i. The scammer slipped ".com" within the URL but it's irrelevant and the link it going to another unsecure source. Also, the source of the sender (above) is not a typical address one would normally receive a text message from.

We've taken many reports of individuals who have received a phone call from someone indicating that they won money or a vehicle. The caller wants the victim to send them money so that they can process or ship their winnings.

Through our investigations of these calls, we generally search the address that the scammer wants the money sent to. The addresses provided to the victim have generally been at an apartment complex or a residence for sale or rent. The address likely does not come back to the scammer, and they simply wait at that location until the package with money has been delivered.

We understand that these scammers are compelling and sometimes pushy to the point of being threatening.

Cash money, gift cards, and pre-paid credit cards are impossible for law enforcement to track. Once those items are shipped, they are likely gone forever.

Entities that issue prize money or vehicles will not require money to be sent in order to receive the prize.

The Federal Trade Commission has information regarding scams, how to protect yourself from scams, and how to report scams. This website has a vast amount of information.

A lot of banks and credit card companies now offer credit monitoring services. We highly encourage you to sign up for these services. This will allow you to receive a monthly glance at your credit information to ensure that no accounts have been opened using your information without your knowledge. There are also ways to sign up for instant notification, such as an email or text message, if an account is opened.

Below is a cellular phone notification of a new credit card opened on the user's account. In this case, the new card on the user's credit report is correct and not a compromise of their identity. Had a fraudulent credit card been opened in the user's name, the notification would have been the same, allowing the user to work immediately to reduce the damage from the scammer opening a credit card.

We highly encourage you to contact your local bank or law enforcement agency if you have questions. No legitimate company or service will require immediate action on outstanding bills or payments without prior notification. Slow down and talk to someone you trust, first.

It's very rare that someone is trying to give you money for no reason. If it's too good to be true, it almost always is. You should never have to send money in order to receive a prize or money.

Never send cash, pre-paid credit cards, or gift cards to anyone for payment. These are not trackable means of payment and recovering that money is almost impossible. Scammers want you to pay using these types of methods so that the money can't be recovered, and their identity can remain shielded.

When possible, sign up for two-factor authentication for all email, social media accounts, and any site that has your information contained behind a username/ password login. This requires anyone trying to log into your account to have a code, which is set up to be sent to you, before being allowed in. Without the code, scammers cannot get into your account. It also serves as a means of notifying you that someone is attempting to log into your account when you receive the code. Never share authentication codes with anyone.

URLs (website addresses) should typically end with .com, .edu, .gov, .us, .org, and so on (make sure it's something you're familiar with). We've seen several URLs from scammers that include one of the previously mentioned "Top-Level Domains" but the actual top-level domain is something else. The last part of a web address is "top-level domain".

What we mean: a website such as Google is, www.google.com

A scammer may do something like: www.google.com.top/i

In the scammer URL posted above, it can trick the victim into thinking that the site has ".com" within it, so it's safe. An address must end with a familiar top-level domain to be safe.

We are not indicating that all .com addresses are safe, for example, though.

If someone indicates that you won a prize or owe money, and they want to meet you in person, you are welcome to meet at the Waukon Police Department. Our address is: 104 1st St NW. Any legitimate prize distributor or bill collector will have no issues with meeting at our facility. Please give us some advanced notice that you plan to meet here, so we can be present to ensure your safety and security.