Coming up like Spring flowers - Tax Season Scams!

 (Courtesy XFINITY)

Text fraud alert to motorists-

 (Shore Daily News)

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) is alerting motorists to a recent surge in fraudulent text messages impersonating toll road agencies and financial institutions. Known as “smishing,” these deceptive messages are sent to mobile phones, posing as legitimate toll authorities and requesting urgent personal or payment information in an attempt to defraud individuals.

(Read more about it:)

CBBT urges residents to be wary of scammers - Shore Daily News

Missed court calls are a scam-

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.

Don't be a scam victim!

 
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.

Country music festival fake tickets alert-

 

(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

Package delivery scam-

 

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.

SCAM: "Panic Buttons"

 

 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

Shipping Alert 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

Ukraine scams alert

 (WBOC)

ANNAPOLIS, Md.- The Maryland Secretary of State and Attorney General are warning that while appeals for charitable donations may surge as the crisis in Ukraine escalates, it is important to do research before giving. There are a number of ways to donate to Ukraine-related causes, while ensuring donations are given to a reputable organization.

View news story:

Md. Secretary of State, AG Warn of Charity Scams in Light of Crisis in Ukraine | Latest News | wboc.com

Scam alert for Comcast internet customers

Comcast Xfinity says it will never call, ask for sensitive details over phone. They will also not call you and ask to connect to your computer.

 

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.

Worcester County scam alert

 (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:

Worcester County Issues Scam Warning - WBOC TV

Phone scam warning

 Maryland state troopers are warning residents on the Lower Shore of an apparent telephone scam involving a caller asking for donations to the Maryland State Police. 

View full news release:

Phone Scam Warning In Somerset Co. (maryland.gov)

Holiday scams alert

 

(The County Times, Crisfield)

Crisfield PD and State Police both warn about scam callers

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.

Coronavirus Scams

NORTON, a leading digital software security company, has issued the following alert. For link addresses see bottom of message. -tk

U.S, Center for Disease Control
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

World Health Organization
https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

cracking down (FACEBOOK)
https://thenextweb.com/facebook/2020/02/26/facebook-now-bans-ads-peddling-coronavirus-conspiracies-fake-cures/

our article (NORTON)
https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-crm-devicesecurity-whats-phishing-and-how-can-you-avoid-getting-hooked.html?om_em_cid=hho_email_CRM_Email_US_BLST_ACT_DSP_LifeLock_2020_03_ALERT_CORONA_symtec.8044362

PRECAUTION WITH WRITING 2020

IMPORTANT

When writing the date during this year of 2020 don't do it like this.

Do it like this.

Here's why: (click on link)
https://www.wmdt.com/2020/01/police-dont-abbreviate-2020-on-legal-documents/

From Pocomoke City Police Chief Kelvin Sewell - SCAM ALERT

Scam Alert Press Release

Chief Kelvin Sewell of the Pocomke City Police Department is warning residents about a telephone scam in which callers try to obtain credit card information by telling people they are wanted for arrest or a family member has been arrested and needs bail money.

Police said Thursday they have received complaints about the calls, which come in displaying blocked numbers on caller ID.

The caller tells the resident there is a warrant for his/her arrest or their family member has been arrested and instructs them to pay a certain amount of money by credit card or bank accounty information to avoid arrest or for their family member to be released.

Police advise anyone receiving such a call not to respond to the request but contact local authorities and report the incident along with the phone number supplied by the caller.
                                   
Chief Sewell advises citizens to never give your personal information such as social security number, bank information, credit card information etc. over the phone to a suspicious caller

Chief Kelvin Sewell

Pocomoke City Police Department