Police offer tips to stop scams

WYTHEVILLE – With the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Wytheville Field Office noticing an uptick in requests to discuss financial scams, Virginia State Police is offering tips to help Virginians, especially older Virginians and vulnerable adults, avoid being taken advantage of and potentially at risk of identity and financial theft.

A common and aggressive scam that is often seen pressures individuals into buying anti-virus software on their digital devices. In one Virginia case, a gentleman was told that his program had expired, and he needed to pay $400 to update his security software and protect his devices from being hijacked. The scammers emailed him a valid-looking form that he completed and included detailed personal and banking information. The convincing scammer kept calling the man and pressuring him with additional “security needs” and the man complied. In the end, the gentleman was scammed out of $36,000.

Another popular scam being reported around the Commonwealth is known as the “Grandparent scam.” In this scam, callers use artificial intelligence (AI) to contact an older person. Over the phone, the AI voice plays out a very convincing and dire tale of a grandchild being held in jail and in desperate need money to bail them out. The “grandchild” will ask for either bank information or gift cards be purchased. The scammer’s ploy will often include personal family information, all which is readily available via an Internet search and/or social media posts.

Virginia State Police reminds Virginians that no legitimate company will ever ask for payment in the form of gift cards, or what is known as “green dot cards” (similar to gift cards), or ask for cash to be mailed or wired.  Virginians should also be wary of a payment request in cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin.   The Wytheville Field Office recently investigated a case where a woman was scammed into sending $160,000 in Bitcoin out of the country.

“What we are recommending to people, especially older Virginians, is to independently verify before you reply,” said Virginia State Police Special Agent A. Galton, an accountant with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. “If you receive a call or email, even if it appears to be legitimate, kindly thank them for contacting you.  Then take their name and number, and tell them that you will independently communicate, meaning that you will go look up the name and number of that organization and call them yourself.”

Galton says, for example, if you receive an email from a company (such as Amazon) saying your account has been hacked, do not click on any link, but instead, go to your Amazon account independently to see if that message exists.  “Scammers are successful because they create a sense of urgency,” says Galton.  “No credible organization will pressure you into a decision.”

Virginia State Police also recommends older Virginians create a buddy system, in which you find someone trusted you can contact about a call, request, or deal.  If the “buddy” has questions, then the older Virginian should examine the request further.  State Police also recommend that older Virginians have regular independent audits of financial Power of Attorney transactions.

Additional information on potential scams and local resources to help you better safeguard your older loved one are available through the Office of the Attorney General at TRIAD – Crime Prevention Tips (state.va.us).