STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ)– To bring more awareness about online scams, police are telling residents to be mindful of who they hire to do work on a home, who they may meet online, and even about random phone calls from someone claiming to be a relative in need of money.
In a press release that was issued on Monday by State College police, they cite eight specific scams that scammers will use to try to gain access to a person’s personal or banking information. Police also said that the scammers usually are from out of the United States.
- Romance scam: Criminals pose as interested romantic partners on social media or dating websites to capitalize on their elderly victims’ desire to find companions.
- Tech support scam: Criminals pose as technical support representatives and offer to fix non-existent computer issues. The scammers gain remote access to victims’ devices and sensitive information.
- Grandparent scam: Criminals pose as a relative—usually a child or grandchild—claiming to be in immediate financial need.
- Government impersonation scam: Criminals pose as government employees and threaten to arrest or prosecute victims unless they agree to provide funds or other payments.
- Sweepstakes/charity/lottery scam: Criminals claim to work for legitimate charitable organizations to gain victims’ trust. Or they claim their targets have won a foreign lottery or…
