Wednesday, April 24, 2024

How To Report A Scam Number To The Police

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Report A Scam To Action Fraud

Police officer takes on phone scammer: ‘Can I send a check?

Cyber criminals use fake messages as bait to lure you into clicking on the links within their scam email or text message, or to give away sensitive information .

These messages may look like the real thing but are malicious. Once clicked, you may be sent to a dodgy website which could download viruses onto your computer, or steal your passwords.

If you think you may have been the victim of fraud or cybercrime and incurred a financial loss or have been hacked as a result of responding to a phishing message, you should report this to Action Fraud

Have you spotted a suspicious email?

If you have received an email which youre not quite sure about, forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service :

The message might be from a company you dont normally receive communications from, or someone you do not know. You may just have a hunch. If you are suspicious, you should report it.

Your report of a phishing email will help us to act quickly, protecting many more people from being affected.

The National Cyber Security Centre will analyse the suspect email and any websites it links to. They’ll use any additional information youve provided to look for and monitor suspicious activity.

If they discover activity that they believe is malicious, they may:

  • seek to block the address the email came from, so it can no longer send emails
  • work with hosting companies to remove links tomalicious websites
  • raise awareness of commonly reported suspicious emails and methods used

Action fraud

Request A Call For Service From The Psni

You should ask for a call for service when any of these apply:

  • a fraud is being committed or recently occurred
  • you know the suspect and they live in Northern Ireland
  • the victim is perceived to be vulnerable, through age, mental or physical impairment, or in need of care and support
  • you believe it’s important to report the incident to police so they can secure and preserve evidence or prevent loss

You can request a call for service report to the PSNI by phoning 101 or 999 in an emergency.

In The United States:

  • The Federal Trade Commission’s online complaint tool is the main tool and your first stop to reporting a problem or scam. You can file a complaint here for many types of complaints, such as scam emails, phone calls claiming to be from the IRS, FBI or another government agency, identity theft scams, spam, telemarketers, educations scams, jobs scams.
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    Verify A Website Below

    Are you just about to make a purchase online? See if the website is legit with our validator:

    vldtr®

    Are you a big fan of Etsy? Here are a bunch of fake Etsy-like websites!

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    What Can You Do If You Get Scammed

    How To Report Text Scammers and Spammers To Smart and ...

    If you have recently been scammed, take comfort in knowing that there are multiple resources out there to help. However, scammers come in all shapes and sizes, and reporting them may look different depending on the crime. If youve been scammed over the phone, the process of reporting it will look a bit different than if you have been scammed on a website or by a local scam artist.

    Regardless of the details of the crime, you will want to notify your bank immediately if a debit or credit card was used to make the fraudulent purchase. When you call, ask to speak to the fraud department. The fraud representative will ask you several questions about the scam, such as when it took place, how much money you have lost, and if you have noticed any other suspicious transactions that resemble fraud. Many banks will investigate on your behalf and reimburse you if they find the purchase was indeed a scam.

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    Beware Of Social Security Phone Scams

    The Social Security Administration and Office of the Inspector General continue to receive reports of scammers impersonating SSA employees over the phone, to request personal information or money. Imposters may threaten you and demand immediate payment to avoid arrest or legal action. Do not fall for it!

    • SSA employees will NEVER threaten you for information, or promise a reward or resolution in exchange for personal information or money.
    • Do not use caller ID to verify that the caller is a government employee. Many scam calls spoof official government numbers, such as SSAs National 800 Number, the Social Security Fraud Hotline, local Social Security field offices, SSA press offices, or local police numbers.
    • Impostors may use legitimate names and phone numbers of SSA employees.
    • If the caller demands sensitive personal information, payment via gift card or pre-paid debit card or wire transfer, it is a scam.
    • If the caller makes threats when you do not comply with their request, it is a scam.

    If you receive a suspicious call:

  • Hang up!
  • Do not give them money or personal information
  • Report the scam at OIG.SSA.GOV/REPORT
  • How To Protect Yourself

    Remember these tips to avoid a banking scam:

    Do

    • Be suspicious if you are told to wire a portion of funds from a check you received back to a company.

    • Be wary of lotteries or free trials that ask for your bank account number.

    • Verify the authenticity of a cashiers check with the bank that it is drawn on before depositing it.

    • When verifying a check or the issuer, use contact information on a banks website.

    Dont

    • Dont trust the appearance of checks or money orders. Scammers can make them look legitimate and official.

    • Dont deposit checks or money orders from strangers or companies you dont have a relationship with.

    • Dont wire money to people or companies you dont know.

    • Dont give your bank account number to someone who calls you, even for verification purposes.

    • Dont click on links in an email to verify your bank account.

    • Dont accept a check that includes an overpayment.

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    Responding To Fake Tech Support Requests

    Reputable tech companies and real security warnings will never prompt you to call a phone number. A legitimate company will not contact you by phone, email, or text to tell you there is an issue with your computer.

    If you believe you may have been scammed, consider the following actions:

    • Contact your credit card company or bank right away to stop the transaction.

    • If you paid an imposter technician with a gift card, contact the company that issued the gift card to cancel the transaction and ask for a refund.

    • If you provide remote access to your device, run trustworthy security software to scan and delete anything that is identified as a problem.

    • If you provided your user name and security password to an imposter tech support technician, change your password right away. If you use the same username or password for any other accounts, change those as well.

    If you do believe there is a technical issue with your phone or computer, it is best to first update your computers security and software. If you find an issue or need further help, work with a company you know and trust.

    It is important to report any tech scams you may encounter with the FTC. The FTC compiles information from various complaints and uses it to build cases against scammers. Keeping your security software up-to-date and blocking unwanted calls, texts, and emails can help you avoid encountering tech scams.

    How To Report Charity Scams

    Phone Scam Clones State Police Number, Requests Your Personal Information

    Dont

    • Dont give in to high pressure tactics such as urging you to donate immediately.

    • Dont assume that you can get a tax deduction for donating to an organization. Use the IRSs database of 5013 organizations to find out if it has this status.

    • Dont send cash. Pay with a check or credit card.

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    Report The Scam To Other Organisations

    You should also report scams to other organisations. This increases the chance of scammers being caught and stopped.

    You should report all types of scams to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud.

    Action Fraud can get the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau to investigate scams. They’ll also give you a crime reference number, which can be helpful if you need to tell your bank you’ve been scammed. Read our advice on trying to get your money back after a scam.

    It’s quickest to report a scam to Action Fraud online, but you can also report the scam by phone.

    Action Fraud

    Telephone: 0300 123 2040

    Relay UK – if you can’t hear or speak on the phone, you can type what you want to say: 18001 then 0300 123 2050

    You can use Relay UK with an app or a textphone. Theres no extra charge to use it. Find out how to use Relay UK on the Relay UK website.

    Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm

    There are other organisations you should report your scam to, depending on what’s happened.

    Debit And Credit Card Fraud

    Debit card fraud happens when a thief skims” or swipes the information from the strip on the back of your card, or from the chip to create a duplicate of your card. This is done by using a skimming machine which scans the back of a debit/credit card and captures the important features of your bank card without actually making contact with your card. In some cases, the machines that read your bank card information can also capture your PIN.

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    The First Option Should Be Your Stare Consumer Protection Office

    How to report a craigslist scam to police. They only work on actual loss victims. Sometimes you might get involved in a scam on a higher level. Ask to speak with the fraud department.

    If your personal information has been posted on craigslist, use our online form to report the issue. The police dont handle that. Report scam websites on a federal level.

    For example, record his name, known addresses, telephone numbers, vehicle description, license plate number and physical description. Only if you have lost money. Craigslist is sort of a wild west when compared to other sites of similar popularity.

    Go to the scam reporting section of craigslist:how i fell for an awful craigslist rental scam and what i should have done differently.how i handled a craigslist rental scam contacted police. Awhile back, i sold a. How to report a craigslist scam to police.

    If there was a theft of money or property involved in the website scam, you should go to your local police as well. If you receive an abusive email from an address that ends with reply.craigslist.org, for example: Contact your local police station.

    900 rent for a 1400 sq ft 2 bedroom 1718 e capital street all utilities included. How to report fraud in tennessee to report fraud or a scam in the state of tennessee from nashville to memphis, contact the attorney general, the better business bureau. Song lile nigeria nigerian scam nigeria scam nigeria scam from mr.

    4 Ways To Report Fraud On Craigslist Wikihow

    Travel Scams And Timeshare Scams

    4 Ways to Report Fraud

    Scammers promise free or low-cost vacations that can end up costing you a lot in hidden costs. And sometimes, after you pay, you find out there is no vacation. In timeshare resale scams, scammers lie and tell you theyll sell your timeshare and may even have a buyer lined up if you pay them first.

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    Ways That Ticket Scammers Go After Your Money

    Scammers, including individuals and fake resale companies, take advantage of ticket shortages by:

    • Charging prices much higher than the face value of a ticket
    • Creating counterfeit tickets with forged barcodes and logos of real ticket companies
    • Selling duplicates of a legitimate ticket and emailing it to several buyers
    • Pretending to sell tickets online to steal your credit card information

    Getting Your Money Back

    You wont always be able to get your money back if youve been scammed. You might have more protection if you’ve paid for something by credit card. Contact your bank immediately if you know that youve been tricked into revealing personal information or banking details, or if you notice suspicious activity on your account.

    The Money Advice Service has more advice on getting your money back if you’ve been the victim of a scam or identity theft.

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    Learn About And Report Scams

    The Federal Trade Commission has many resources to help you learn about scams, and report and recover from identity theft at the links below:

    Learn about unemployment insurance fraud and how to report it to your state workforce agency at the Department of Justices National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force page. The Department of Labor OIG has also created an unemployment insurance fraud Consumer Protection Guide with helpful information.

    If you believe you have been a victim of an IRS impersonation scam, please report it to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

    Report violations of U.S. federal law or suspected terrorism or criminal activity to the Federal Bureau of Investigation at fbi.gov/tips.

    Irs And Tax Scams Over The Phone

    Police officer scams an IRS scammer with return phone call

    Since all of us are connected to the tax-collecting system, scammers have always used the related organizations and tax fraud as a way to scam unwitting victims. The use of scam numbers in pursuit of this goal is very common.

    If someone has targeted you through a scam number to take advantage of your tax situation or debt, call your authorities right away. If you are the victim of state-level tax fraud, contact your state department of revenue for more help. State or province taxes operate differently than federal taxes collected by the IRS, CRA, HMRC, or ATO.

    For example, the Internal Revenue Service or state tax collectors have a policy not to request debt payment or payment of back taxes over the phone. They will not threaten to garnish wages, take your Social Security, or exhibit any threatening language or behaviors at all.

    Official IRS correspondence almost always comes in the mail, so be cautious if youre ever called by someone from the IRS or a state-level tax department.

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    Questions You May Have About Consumer Fraud

    Why is financial exploitation under reported?+

    • Some people feel ashamed and embarrassed to say that they have been taken advantage of financially.
    • Some people may feel loyal to the person who has taken advantage of them financially, but is good to them in other ways.
    • Some people may feel fearful of retaliation or losing their independence after reporting the issue.
    • Some people may feel dependent on the care or assistance provided by the person taking advantage of them
    • Some people may blame themselves.
    • Some people may be in denial.
    • Some people are simply unaware that they are being exploited or do not know that they can report financial exploitation.

    What should you do if you or someone you know becomes a victim of financial exploitation or another form of elder abuse?+

    If you believe a crime has been committed or the person is in danger, call 911. You can also call your local law enforcement’s non-emergency number to start a police report.

    Follow the steps below if you do not believe it is necessary to involve the police at this time

    How To Report Fraud

    Fraudulent or suspicious activity can be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, through its website at www.antifraudcentre.ca, or by telephone at 1-888-495-8501.

    Report instances of misleading or deceptive marketing practices to the Competition Bureau using the online complaint form or by telephone at 1-800-348-5358. If you are a victim of fraud, let your local police force know.

    If you decide to file a complaint, it is important that you keep any evidence you may have related to your complaint. Evidence may include, but is not limited to, the following:

    • cancelled cheques
    • certified or other mail receipts
    • chatroom or newsgroup text
    • printed or electronic copies of emails
    • printed or electronic copies of web pages
    • wire receipts
    • notes taken as events take place

    Keep evidence items in a safe location in the event that you are requested to provide them. This information may form an important part of any investigation. The information you provide could be used as evidence during a prosecution.

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    Phishing And Spoofed Websites

    • Phishing and Spam: Internet Crime Prevention & Control Institute, a cooperative effort between Zero Spam Network Corp. and the University of Miami. Staffed by Miami undergraduate and graduate students and Zero Spam employees, works closely with the Secret Service’s Electronic Crimes Task Force and ISPs in the United States and abroad to identify and block traffic to machines hosting phishing sites.

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