Weber County Sheriff’s Office issues warning against incidents of fraud

OGDEN — The Weber County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday it has recently received several fraud reports that involved large sums of money.

Police said the people committing such acts are honing their techniques in phone calls, making them convincing to the people they are calling.

While it is difficult to prepare for every scenario, police mention several red flags to keep an eye out for:

• Misleading bank instructions: This occurs when you are instructed to lie about the purpose of the withdrawal. This method tries to circumvent security measures put in place by financial institutions.
• Alternate deposit locations: You should think twice if asked to withdraw money and then deposit it at another location, such as a Bitcoin ATM, usually at a gas station.
• Persistent phone presence: Caution is urged, if a caller insists on remaining on the line while you withdraw and deposit funds. Police said they may be trying to keep you from talking to others about the phone call.
• Suspicious pop-up messages: Messages that pop up on your devices that claim you have been hacked should be ignored. You should also avoid clicking on any links or calling any numbers provided.
• False bank/fraud department calls: If you receive a phone call from a bank fraud department, and are requested to provide private information, you should hang up.
• Avoid App downloads: Don’t download any apps to your phone by anyone claiming to fraud investigators.

What to do

If you are a victim of fraud, you should contact your bank immediately. Police said it is unlikely any money lost can be recovered.

Still, you should file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. While the FBI may not be able to investigate, it may be able to link your case to other cases with known suspects.

Police said the best thing you can do is stay vilgilant and informed.