Scams on the rise, stay safe

Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office and Greybull Police Department have noted several scams circulating recently. 

“So far today, someone was called that their daughter was kidnapped and asked for $80,000, the daughter was not kidnapped, and this was a scam,” Greybull Police Department wrote in a social media post on October 1. “We also got a report that someone called a lady and told her they were the feds and wanted $25,000 or she would be arrested for child porn. She did not pay and this was also a scam.”

The victim of the second scam told the Standard the phishing scheme started online, when she was asked to change her PayPal password. She called the number presented to her as customer service and was told someone had hacked her account. The scammers then pretended to put her in contact with the Bank of Bridger, which her PayPal account was connected to. 

What started out seemingly typical escalated quickly, as the scammers alleged she had a fraudulent $25,000 charge for child pornography. They wanted her to change her account, taking $25,000 cash from her savings to put in a “protected fund.” She was told not to tell the police or her children about the transfer, as it was a “federal investigation.” The scammers told her they would set her up with a Washington, D.C. lawyer. 

When the woman asked if she could talk to police or a lawyer, they asked for the police department’s number, which she gave them. Through caller ID spoofing, the scammers were able to call her back from what appeared to be the GPD number. The woman picked up, and the supposed police officer on the other end of the line had a foreign accent that she knew none of the local officers had. At that point, she went to Greybull Police Department and reported the incident. 

“This happening a lot lately with several things. No government entity is going to call you and ask for money like that. Be careful,” GPD wrote. 

At the county level, several residents received mailed notices claiming they owe a back tax to Big Horn County. One letter presented to Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office alleged the recipient owed $6,137 and asked them to call an 800 number. “We are not the IRS but have a special practitioner helpline where we can have you on the phone with them in minutes and help negotiate a better outcome for you,” the letter reads. 

“Always verify with the legitimate agency,” Big Horn County Sheriff’s Deputy Keri Angell said. It was through people bringing the notices to the county that law enforcement was able to identify the scam. 

Phishing schemes will often use the logo and information of nationally recognized or even local organizations to gain trust; banks, credit card companies or utilities companies, for example. Saam Vet Clinic in Basin even reported a spam website on their Facebook page recently, and noted they never use other websites for sales. 

MyChart, a health records portal, warned of an uptick in scams as well, with fraudulent promises of a “free Medicare kit,” and requests for personal or payment information reported in Star Valley recently. A press release warned that if a website appearing to be MyChart asks the user to run a computer command, download a program to see their lab results or override a security warning, they should stop immediately. 

The Federal Trade Commission advises that texts and emails often try to trick the recipient into clicking a link or opening an attachment, often with notices of suspicious log-in attempts, payment problems, requests for personal or financial information and fake invoices. Other scams may invite the recipient to click a link to make a payment, register for a government refund, or offer a coupon. 

“If it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” Angell said. 

She also noted several local scams where the victims were asked to send money to a loved one, or advised if they loaned the money now, they would be paid back more. “Your grandkids are never going to call from jail asking for $10,000,” Angell said. 

One way to protect computers and cell phones from phishing attempts is by using security software and protecting accounts with multi-factor authentication, which requires two or more credentials to log in to an account. Never give out banking information or personal identifying information to unknown sources, Angell advised, and if you do, contact your bank immediately and change your passwords. 

Scams can be reported to Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office as needed for bank verification, but Angell noted BHCSO itself does not investigate online scams. To make an official scam report, visit https://reportfraud.ftc.gov.