Holidays - particularly those that honor veterans or other servicemembers, but really all holidays, have become prime opportunities for scammers to try and trick this particular group of people into revealing personal information that can give the scammer access to bank accounts and other financial assets.

Knowing how large our military community is here in Norfolk (and surrounding communities), the Consumer Protection Unit (CPU) at the Norfolk Sheriff's Office wants to share this warning from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) with residents about this problem:

Imposters are contacting veterans, servicemembers, and their families. They pretend to be representatives of USAA Bank, Navy Federal Credit Union, and other banks. They’re asking for information — like your Social Security, bank account, or credit or debit card number, or your password. They’re saying that your debit card has been blocked, they’ve detected fraudulent activity, or some other urgent excuse. (These, by the way, are all lies.)

You may get one of these unexpected calls or voicemails from your bank, or even a surprise text or email with a link that includes an official-looking logo (also all fake). These are from scammers who want your information to get into your accounts or steal your identity. And if you click on the fake link, they could install malware on your phone or computer, which could give them complete access to your device and information.

Here’s how to protect yourself:

• • Don’t trust caller ID. Scammers fake the number they call from. Never call back phone numbers from your caller ID or those left in voicemails.
  • Never give personal information to anyone who contacts you out of the blue. Financial institutions won’t ask you for personal information or passcodes. If you think it could be legit, contact the company using a website or phone number you know is real.
  • Don’t click links in unexpected texts or emails. Those are often phishing scams. If you’ve clicked a link by mistake, update your phone’s and computer’s security software.

Suspect a scam? Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and visit MilitaryConsumer.gov for more resources. Also, read more about the FTC’s rulemaking proposal to combat impersonation scams.

If you've been subjected to a scam attempt like this, please contact the Norfolk Sheriff's Office's Consumer Protection Unit to file a report.

File a Fraud Report

As the temperature goes down, it's become normal for scammers to try and exploit fear of being unable to heat their home to trick people into sending them money that the person being scammed doesn't actually owe.

The Consumer Protection Unit (CPU) at the Norfolk Sheriff's Office received a report from a Norfolk resident using our online form about an attempt by someone claiming to represent Dominion Energy to scam the person being targeted into sending them money. 

The caller, whose number came up as (757) 222-1746, stated that the person he'd called had missed two payments. The person targeted also mentioned that the caller had an accent. 

Although the person reporting the scam didn't elaborate, the normal behavior of these scammers is to then threaten the target with having their service cut off. This can obviously be frightening and often leads to the person being targeted deciding to make the payment rather than risk losing their service. 

Tip: ALWAYS be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.

The CPU wants residents in Norfolk to be aware of the proliferation of such scams, and that such an attempt had taken place.

Dominion Energy offers these tips on their website regarding scams involving their company:

Spot a scam: 

• Dominion Energy will never call to demand customers make immediate payment to avoid disconnection.

• Dominion Energy will never ask for payment using money orders, prepaid debit or gift cards.

• Dominion Energy employees will never request to enter a customer's home without proper identification, an appointment or a reported emergency. Additionally, employees do not ask for payment in person.

Outsmart a scammer: 

• Hang up. If you are unsure if a call is valid, even if Dominion Energy’s number shows on the caller ID, immediately hang up and never provide personal information.

• Verify. You can verify your account status, balances or due dates by signing into the Dominion Energy app, checking your account online, or by calling the number located on your energy bill.

• Ignore. Don’t respond to suspicious emails or text messages or click on links or attachments prompting energy bill payment.

• Report. Tell local authorities about suspicious calls, texts and emails.

If you've received a call like this, please please contact the Norfolk Sheriff's Office's Consumer Protection Unit to file a report.

File a Fraud Report

The officer-in-charge of our Consumer Protection Unit, Deputy Mike Imprevento, shared this account of a recent scam he was informed about:

I met with a father and daughter. The father is an elderly retired naval officer who was the subject of a phishing e-mail scam wherein the scammer persuaded the victim to fill out a form and ultimately initiate a wire transfer from his bank.

The elderly are very vulnerable to this. The way this scam worked is typical:

• The crime started as a series of phone calls from someone posing as an Amazon rep named “Eric Morrison” from a number which showed as (206) 614-0739.
• The caller stated that there was a charge on the victims Amazon account for $1000.00 for a “ IPhone” and when the victim denied the charge, the scammer stated that he would have to ask for a refund.
• Shortly thereafter the “refund” was facilitated by the appearance of a form on the victims computer (which was actually accessed by the scammer) wherein the “refund” would be requested. 
• This was a form which was doctored by the scammer to change the $1000.00 amount to $10,000.00 and the scammer stated that the excess $9000.00 refunded would cause him to be fired unless the victim wired the amount to another account. This allowed the conversion of the $9000.00 amount which was to a spoofed account, which the NSO is currently investigating.

The money was lost.

The common use of Amazon has allowed this scam to catch on. DO NOT EVER send money by wire under these circumstances and Amazon will never operate this way. NSO is notifying other federal and state agencies of this scam.

Deputy Michael F Imprevento
Staff Attorney
OIC Consumer Protection Unit
Norfolk Sheriff’s Office

Scammers may pose as a variety of persons who interact on social media and whenever you are asked for money by someone you do not know, ignore the request and report the interaction.

If you believe you have been a victim of a scheme to defraud you, please report it the NSO Consumer Protection Unit at this link, https://norfolk-sheriff.com/fraudwatch.