Scammers Posing As Police Are Targeting Casper Locals

You've tried to be careful not to fall for scams. You do your best to protect your identity, but a scammer still manages to obtain your personal information, and you suddenly feel that you're in trouble. It happens, and it happens often.

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One scam causing issues in the Casper area is a phone scam, and if you're not careful, you can be taken for thousands of dollars in a matter of minutes. The scammer calls your phone, which they likely harvested from a leak, a hack, or even a personal information lookup site. He identifies himself as working for the Casper Police Department and tells you that you missed a court date, a jury duty, or that you have an outstanding warrant.

He tells you this is a serious offense and that if you don't act now, you'll be in big trouble. Now, if you're not ready for it, you may start freaking out and ask how to fix the issue. At that point, he knows that he's getting closer to getting what he wants, and that's money.

If you allow the conversation to continue, the scammer will likely tell you that you can resolve the issue by purchasing gift cards, wiring money through a company like Western Union, or even sending it through a cash app. They'll try to keep you on the phone and give you instructions on what you need to do next. If you go through with everything, they could convince you to send them thousands of dollars, which you'll never see again.

Just the thought of falling for a scam like that makes my chest feel tight. Knowing what to do in that situation and being on your toes at all times will help lower the risk of being scammed.

Here are some tips from the FTC to help you avoid being scammed.

• Remember that a legit organization will not call and ask for your personal information, so never give out personal details like Social Security, Banking, or Credit Card numbers.
• Scammers will tell you that you're in trouble with the government, local law enforcement, or someone in your family is in trouble, or you won a large prize, but you need to pay to get it.
• They may say you have an issue with one of your accounts and want to verify information.
• Most scams are high-pressure and act fast calls. They'll likely tell you not to hang up, so you can't check out their story.
• They won't ask you to go to the place they're calling from to pay; they'll want a specific payment method, like gift cards, cryptocurrency, or another non-traditional option.
• If you get a call like this, hang up and contact the actual organization. Remember the name the caller was using, the organization they said they were representing, and report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission.

Remembering tips like this will help you avoid being scammed. If you want more information or need to report a possible scammer in the Casper area, contact the Police Department, the Sheriff's Office's non-emergency number, or the FTC.