Piscataquis County Sheriff's Office Warns of Latest Spoof Calls

The Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office is issuing a warning on their Facebook page about recent fraud and spoof calls.

From the The Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office: The Sheriff’s Office wants the community to be aware that we have been receiving complaints of fraud and spoof calls. These spoof calls appear to be coming from the bank or business you are associated with, but they are not from the actual bank or business. The caller wants you to quickly react to some sort of issue. If you suspect the call is fraudulent, then immediately hang up. Protect yourself from online and phone scams by knowing some of the warning signs.

If you are contacted by someone you don’t know and they:
1. Cause an emotional reaction, either positive (ex. Excited – you won the lottery!) or negative (ex. Fearful – the government is coming to arrest you right now).
2. You need to act right now or else (your winnings will go to someone else, you will be arrested and throw in jail, your computer will be destroyed, etc.)
3. They isolate you from others (must sign a non-disclosure agreement, verbally tell someone they cannot talk to anyone about what is happening because it will compromise the investigation, etc) and
4. You have to send the funds via a hard-to-trace means (cryptocurrency, gift cards, wrap money/gold/silver and hand to an in-person courier, wire money, mail bank/cashier’s checks, etc.),
……then it is a scam.

If you, or someone you know, is a potential victim of internet fraud, file a complaint with Internet Crime Complaint Center.