DELAWARE- The Delaware State Police said they have noticed an increase in scams statewide in a press release Friday, Oct. 20.
An example of a recent scam, according to DSP, include a victim who received a call from the perpetrator claiming to be with the Publisher’s Clearing House, stating that the victim won $7,000 weekly and a white Mercedes Benz. The perpetrator asked the victim to purchase Visa gift cards and provide him with the gift card numbers so he could set up an account for the victim to withdraw their winnings. The victim lost approximately $3,500 as a result of this scam.
DSP reminds the public that law enforcement agencies will never request payment for fines, traffic tickets or bail. All of these transactions are conducted by the respective court systems and never over the phone. Electronic payments are also never requested over the phone.
'Spoofing' or falsifying information transmitted to your caller ID display is often used to trick someone into giving away valuable personal information so it can be used in fraudulent activity or sold illegally, according to DSP.
Tips provided by DSP to avoid a scam are: not answering calls from unknown numbers, avoiding wire transfers, never give out personal information like an account number or social security number, set a password for your voicemail and more.