SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah, May 29, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A Salt Lake County resident was recently scammed out of almost $40,000 by people claiming to be from the Social Security Administration and the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office says.
“That’s a lot of hard-earned money, retirement savings, and dreams stolen by these criminals,” the agency statement says.
“In this case, the individual was contacted first by someone impersonating staff at the Social Security Department claiming the victim must pay money owed or the Sheriff’s Office was going to arrest them. The victim hung up the phone.
“Shortly after, a second call came in. This time from someone claiming to be with the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office. They said they were aware of the situation and if the victim did not pay NOW …. they would be going to jail.”
The victim was directed to a bitcoin kiosk and given directions on how to transfer the money, the Sheriff’s Office statement says.
“In total, the victim lost nearly $40,000 to this scam.”
The Sheriff’s Office urged residents not to fall for scams, adding the department never asks for personal information by phone.
“If you are on a call and suspect it may be a scam …. HANG UP …. and report it to your local police department,” the statement says. “No law enforcement agency will ever call you about missed jury duty, or inform you of outstanding warrants.
“WE WILL NEVER ask for money, gift cards, Bitcoin, or any other type of payment. And WE WILL NEVER ask you to divulge any personal information over the phone. Stay vigilant. Together, we can defeat these scammers!”
The SLCo Sheriff’s Office suggested the following tips to avoid become a victim:
- Don’t wire money, send cash, or use gift cards to pay someone who says they are with the sheriff’s office or another government agency
- Don’t give your financial or personal information
- Don’t trust your caller ID
- Don’t click on links in unexpected emails or text messages
To learn more about these types of scams and how you can protect yourself, please visit consumer.ftc.gov, fbi.gov, usa.gov, or slsheriff.org.
