Scams Over the Phone

A couple Roswell residents were recently victimized by scams over the phone that cost one person a lot of money while the other gave up sensitive personal information. With these types of scams again impacting Roswell, the Roswell Police Department reminds people to be wary of giving money or information to anyone you don’t know during a phone call or other situation.
In one recent instance, a woman received a phone call telling her she was a Publishers Clearing House winner of millions of dollars and a new car. However, she was told she must first send in money by purchasing money cards and transferring the money using an online app. The woman was scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars before realizing no prize money and car were on the way.
In another instance, a woman believed she was speaking with a customer-service representative of a company when she gave that person several pieces of personal information. The scammer then used the information to try to withdraw money from the woman’s bank account, but the bank prevented the fraudulent transaction. Still, the victim’s personal information now is at risk of being fraudulently used again.
People are reminded to never give financial account information or other personal information over the phone unless you are absolutely certain who is on the other end of the line. And if you are being asked to transfer money by using gift cards or pre-paid debit cards, realize that is not a generally acceptable way for such transactions to happen with legitimate entities.  
More information about protecting your money and information against scams can be found in the News section at roswellpolice.com.

Original source can be found here.