Beware of Scammers – Phone Calls and Texts
Avoyelles Parish Sheriff David L. Dauzat would like to warn you that scammers are apparently pretending to be affiliated with Amazon, Apple iPhone security, and law enforcement agencies and they call or text message residents to scam them out of their money.
The Sheriff’s Office has received recent reports of calls and text messages made by scammers that defrauded local citizens of funds. These scammers claim to be working with law enforcement on the matter at hand. They claim that you could possibly be arrested or face other consequences if you do not transfer money to them. Any calls to you about alleged fraudulent activity on “your account” and demand or require you to hastily pay for it over the phone with your debit/credit card, or require you to make a wire transfer, IS A SCAM.
The phone numbers often appear to be coming from out of state. You can Google search Amazon scams and how to identify them. You will find multiple scam alerts. These criminals often use spoofed numbers or “burner” phones. The numbers that they call from may change frequently to avoid detection.
TIPS TO AVOID PHONE SCAMS
- Don’t answer a call from a number you do not recognize. Let it go to voice mail and then listen to it later.
- Robo-callers are used to verify that your number is a working number, which opens you up to receiving other scam calls.
- If you do answer and it’s a Robo-caller, or you believe it to be a scam, just hang up without saying anything. Do not press any buttons or give any information.
See the following links for more information and tips to spot and avoid scams:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G3KGTPA8B42CKBJ4
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G4YFYCCNUSENA23B
If you suspect you are being targeted for a scam, or have received a suspicious call, text, or email, we encourage you to contact the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office or your local law enforcement agency BEFORE you send them money or provide your personal information to them.
If you recognize these warning signs and suspect a scam, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspector Service (mail), The FBI (internet), The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office (phone), The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office, or your local law enforcement agency.
See below for scam-reporting websites:
https://www.ic3.gov/Home/FileComplaint
https://www.ag.state.la.us/Contact
As an additional reminder, the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office will never call to demand immediate payment over the telephone, or any of the following:
- Call, text, or email you to verify your identity by asking for personal and/or financial information.
- Ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the telephone or email.
- Demand that you meet someone to make a payment away from the window at the administrative offices.