BATAVIA, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Genesee County Sheriff's Office is reminding its residents this holiday season to do the following when it comes to avoiding potential scams:
- Never provide personal or financial information to anyone who calls you over the phone or contacts you via e-mail or text message who may purport themselves to be a representative from law enforcement, the federal government, a bank/financial institution, or other business.
- Scammers will often try to contact you pretending to be from a known organization such as the Sheriff's Office, IRS, FBI Microsoft, Pay Pay, Amazon, or countless other businesses/government entities. The scammer may indicate that you have a problem with your account or there is a virus on your computer, and they need to assist you in rectifying the issue.
- Scammers may ask
- You to click on a provided link
- For personal and banking information
- For remote access to your computer to assist in correcting the fictitious problem
- The scammers may tell you that your daughter, son, husband, wife, grandchildren, close friend, or someone you know is in trouble with law enforcement and needs money for bail.
- Scammers may indicate that you have won a sweepstakes and that they will be sending you a check to cash and then ask that a portion of the proceeds be sent back to them.
- Scammers may ask for payment in the form of gift cards, electronic payments, or ask that you send cash in the mail to a specific address. Scammers may also indicate that they will send a courier to your residence to retrieve your payment.
If you fall victim to a scam, make sure to report it to your local law enforcement agency.
