The crime of fraud is on the rise, with more and more people reporting various ways they’ve been separated from their money. Don’t become a statistic. Stay vigilant, aware and know that if your gut’s telling you something’s amiss, it probably is. Here are a few things you should watch out for:


Phone scams

Citizens in the township might receive calls asking for personal information, acting as if they are a bank’s fraud department. The caller tells the person there is fraudulent activity on their account and asks them to verify personal information over the phone.

Much of the personal information the scammers have beforehand comes from Googling the victim (name, date of birth, address). The scammer will ask trick questions to verify your date of birth and other important information, which they will then use to change your passwords to bank accounts.

Once that happens, they can start transferring money out of your account.

The scammer’s goal is to create a sense of urgency to confuse the victim and to illicit the sharing of their personal information. It’s very important not to get taken in by their methods. Stop, take a moment to collect your thoughts and never provide any personal or account information over the phone!


Using family as bait

Citizens may also receive calls from someone claiming to be with a federal or local agency, asking for bail money or bond for a family member. It’s important to know and remember that no local or federal agency would accept Bitcoin or gift cards for a bond payment, or even make a call like that.

Police departments do not call citizens, asking them to provide money or gift cards for bail.

These scammers often prey on the elderly, suggesting that a warrant would be put out for their arrest if they don’t pay – oftentimes with cryptocurrency or the aforementioned gift cards.

Scammers have no shame – they have even gone so far as to pretend to be the victim’s grandson/daughter, nephew/niece, stating that they’ve been arrested and they need a large bond payment to get out.


Email scams

Any email received that seems too good to be true, do not respond with any personal information. Look at the sender’s email address – many times you can see that they are not from the company they are claiming to be with. Furthermore, check for grammar and spelling errors.

Also be on the lookout for fake investment opportunities, blackmail emails (we’ve been monitoring your computer use, pay us this amount of money to keep it secret, etc.) and messages claiming to be royalty from a foreign country who want to give their money away to you. They’re all scams.


Text Messages

Any text message that gives you a link to click, do not do it. More than likely it’s a scam. Many of these texts present themselves as banks, in the hopes that people will click the link, thinking something’s going on with their account, and give out personal information. Immediately delete any text messages you receive from unknown sources who are asking you to click a link. If it’s someone you know, they will reach out another way to let you know it’s coming.

Fraud reports can be made in person at the police department’s front desk, located at 46425 Tyler Road, at any time. Or call the department’s nonemergency phone number (734) 699-8930 to request an officer come to your home to make a report.