SALISBURY, Md.- State Police in Salisbury would like to ensure the public is aware of recently reported telephone and computer scams in our area.
Troopers say these criminals are very sophisticated and utilize many techniques to attempt to gain information and access to victim’s finances.
Police say some of the scams reported include victims receiving telephone calls where they are threatened with arrest or arrest or continued detention of family members if they do not provide money, account numbers or purchase a “re-loadable” gift or credit cards.
Another telephone scam includes the victim being called by a “representative of the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.)” and threatened in the same fashion.
State police warn that other victims have had their computers infected with a computer virus and were prompted to take immediate action in order to salvage the computer, which included purchasing up to $2000 in gift cards to pay the company to correct the issue.
Police say the thieves are using scare tactics and sophisticated technology to attempt to take advantage of the public.
If you are a senior citizen, or have a family member that is a senior citizen, Maryland State Police asks you to be aware of these scams to not fall victim to them. They also say to never give any personal information over the phone, and only allow a qualified reputable computer technician the ability to repair your computer should it become infected with a virus.
Many of these telephone scams are disguising themselves by utilizing local telephone number prefixes. No reputable company is going to threaten you with arrest or ask you to purchase a pre-paid card to send to them.
State police encourage people to report internet scams to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center here: ic3.gov.
