Fraud Alert

FRAUD ALERT!  Avoiding Spam and Dissecting a Scam

Cyber criminals appear to have no conscious and will do just about anything to steal your identity, your bank account and your credit information. Although there are a number of laws against spam around the globe, criminally motivated spam continues to cripple our computers making us vulnerable to abuse.

The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office encourages you to utilize these simple safety tips to avoid online fraud through spam:

_ Do NOT respond to spam.
_ Do NOT follow links in spam.
_ Do NOT purchase anything advertised by spam.
_ Do NOT pursue job offers that arrive via spam.
_ Do NOT believe that your bank or Credit Card Company sent you that
account closure warning.
_ Do NOT attempt to collect lottery or sweepstakes winnings and NEVER
assist in the relocation of money even if it’s offered by a poor widow or
orphan who wants you to use it for the Lord’s work.

Check out these “red flags” that will help you dissect an e-mail scam:

_ E-mail written in broken English, uses bad grammar or written in ALL CAPS should be considered suspicious.
_ The e-mail address you are asked to reply to is a FREE e-mail address and can be hard to track. Most legitimate companies do not use these free e-mail accounts.
_ A job offer that commands an urgent response or requires transactions either through Western Union, Moneygram or the Green Dot card.
_ An e-mail that states that the sender is working hand in hand with the FBI or the Attorney General’s Office.
_ An incomplete return address, no return address and/or no phone number.
_ Are you being asked to supply your name, address, date of birth, bank account number or credit card information? The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office calls this “phishing”. Delete immediately!