(Shore Daily News)
Worcester County Sheriff's Office
🚨 SCAM ALERT 🚨
📞 Scammers are at it again, this time pretending to be Worcester County Sheriff’s Office supervisors. They're claiming you owe money for missing court and demanding payment over the phone.
⚠️ Remember:
✅ Law enforcement will NEVER call and demand payment for missed court appearances or any other reason.
✅ Legitimate agencies don’t ask for payment via gift cards, wire transfers, or mobile payment apps.
✅ If you receive a call like this, hang up immediately. If you have been a victim of this scam, please contact the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office at 410-632-1112, or your local law enforcement agency to file a police report.
Worcester County Sheriff's Office
SCAM ALERT!
Please be aware of an ongoing phone scam in which the caller pretends to be a Commander from the Worcester County Sheriff's Office, using the name of a REAL deputy, and demands money for missed jury duty or an arrest warrant. THIS IS A SCAM! Neither the Worcester County Sheriff's Office or any Law Enforcement Agency will demand payment over the phone. Hang up immediately and do not arrange payment. Do not give out any personal or financial information.
Similar scams have involved impostors claiming to be with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) or the IRS (Internal Revenue Service). If you believe you may have been a victim of a telephone scam (shared personal or financial info), call or office at 410-632-1112.
(From Ocean City Police Dept. info)
The upcoming Country Calling Festival is sold out. If you are looking for last-minute resale tickets, do your homework first. The festival offers verified resale tickets on its website. Tickets sold near the festival grounds or on social media group pages risk being fake. One of the most giant red flags if it's a fake ticket is if the price is significantly less than the original ticket cost (over $100).
If you believe you may have been scammed into purchasing a fake ticket or see anything suspicious regarding ticket sales near the festival grounds, please get in touch with the Ocean City Police Department at 410-723-6610. Anonymous tips can be left on our Tip Line at 410-520-5136, email us at crimetips@oceancitymd.gov
Worcester County Sheriff's Office
Scam Alert
Have you ever received a text message like the one shown? If so, Beware!!! Text message scams are real and try to steal your money or identity. Do not click on any suspicious links or provide any sensitive information. In this particular text message scam, the recipient knew they were not expecting a package and verified with their USPS carrier that a package was not waiting at a warehouse.
A local resident just advised us of a SCAM call that they received. The automated call said local police and fire departments are offering panic buttons to be installed in your home. The automated call said the installation is free and to hold on the line to talk to an operator so you can give them your name and address to set up an appointment. This information is FALSE! Local law enforcement and fire departments are NOT giving out panic buttons for your home.
Be careful with unsolicited calls. Scammers often use urgency to pressure victims. Don’t answer calls from unknown or suspicious numbers. If the call is important, they will leave a voicemail. If you do answer the phone and something does not see right, hang up immediately. Don’t engage in conversations with suspicious callers.
For more information on Phone Scams, click here: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/phone-scams
Worcester County Sheriff's Office
ATTENTION: Beware of Fake Shipping Alerts!!!
Package Scam Alert!! Cybercriminals are sending messages claiming lost or late packages via UPS, FedEx and USPS. Be cautious!
Signs of a Scam:
Unexpected delivery alerts
Urgent claims of lost items
Look for bad grammar and bad spelling
Clickbait links for "resolving" issues
Look at the sender's address and verify it matches the organization
Protect Yourself:
Verify tracking numbers on official websites
Contact the delivery service directly for confirmation
Avoid clicking on suspicious links
(WBOC)
View news story:
There's a consumer alert for Comcast Xfinity customers who might have received phone calls from “Comcast Customer Assistance”. There are several scam versions such as the caller telling you that your modem wasn't accepting updates or that your internet IP address has been compromised.
If you’re a Comcast customer and you see “Comcast” on your caller ID, do not answer the phone because Comcast says it’s a scammer trying to steal your personal information. Comcast is warning customers not to fall for this scam.
“We’re not going to call you and ask for your password. We’re not going to call and ask you to give us your sensitive details over the phone or ask you to send us your account number or Social Security number or anything like that," said Cindy Arco, public relations manager for Comcast Xfinity.
Comcast says if you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a Comcast employee and the call sounds suspicious, do not give out any personal information and immediately hang up the phone. After you hang up the phone, make sure you call Comcast to report that suspicious phone call.
"You can call us at 1-800-Comcast or 1-800-Xfinity and that way, you know, you’re actually speaking with a Comcast agent and we can check your account to see if there is something that needs to be addressed," Arco said.
(WBOC)
Worcester County Government (WCG) officials are warning the public not to speak with any caller pretending to be from WCG and demanding information and/or payment on a county water, sewer, or tax bill. The county has received a number of recent reports of scam attempts.
View full news article:
View full news release:
Phone Scam Warning In Somerset Co. (maryland.gov)
(The County Times, Crisfield)
CRISFIELD — The Crisfield Police Department and Chief David Dalfonso remind everyone that with the holidays come the scammers and everyone needs to be on guard.
Residents should be suspicious of any telephone calls or mailings that come from a “government agency,” police department, or questionable charity requesting money — and if you are contacted and unsure if it is a scam, don’t hesitate to contact the CPD at 410-968-1323 to confirm.
Likewise, the Maryland State Police warns of similar schemes including scammers claiming to be the IRS, or a family member of the victim in need of bail money after an arrest.
In a frequent scam, the victim is told that they have won a contest or prize money, but in order to collect their winnings, they must buy gift cards totaling a small portion of the total prize they will eventually be sent by the scammer.
Phone numbers are also spoofed, or cloned, and one victim received a call that displayed “State Police” on her caller ID and the number 410-386-3000, which is the actual number for the Maryland State Police Westminster Barrack. When the woman answered the call, the person on the other end of the line told her a criminal complaint had been filed against her.
The victim asked for the caller’s badge number before the caller hung up on the victim.
Along those same lines but using the internet, one con artist spoofed the victim’s boss’s email address and sent out an email instructing the “employee” to go and buy gift cards and then text the codes on the back of the card to a different number saying the boss lost his phone.
“These scammers are using scare tactics and sophisticated technology to attempt to take advantage of the public,” a spokesperson for the MSP stated. “The Maryland State Police would never solicit personal information from any citizen over the phone.”
Anyone who receives such a phone call should hang up and then contact their local state police barrack. Callers may remain anonymous.
