04/18/2023
FRAUD PREVENTION TIPS:
The Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division would like to remind everyone that no representative of this office will ever call you to say that you need to pay any sum of money in order to prevent you from facing criminal charges, or to remedy existing criminal charges. If you receive a call from someone identifying themselves as a Deputy or Detective and they instruct you to make a payment, obtain a money order, or to provide bank or card information: DO NOT DO IT. This is an on-going, elaborate scam. If you are on the SOR, required fee payments are always done in person at the office. We do not accept payments over the phone.
Additionally, be aware of calls from individuals identifying themselves as a representative of your banking institution calling to let you know of fraudulent transactions being made. These individuals often use phone number “spoofing” apps that copy the actual banking institution’s actual phone number to appear legitimate. Typically, the caller will notify you of suspicious transactions made on your account in another state and will say they have blocked the transactions. Then they will say that your online banking app has been compromised and that they are locking out your current credentials. They request your current credentials and login information to “verify” your account and to provide you with a password reset link. Be very cautious with these elaborate scams. The best practice would be to hang up and call your bank to verify if there are any actual suspicious transactions. The extra couple of minutes taken to do this will not hurt the bank’s ability to block these transactions if there were actual fraudulent ones made.
Lastly, double-check card readers before you swipe your card to make a purchase. If the reader appears oversized, keys stick when pressed, or appears in any other way tampered with, notify an employee. We have recently seen over a dozen cases of theft/fraud that is likely attributed to card skimmers.
Unfortunately, there are people out there that prey on the trust and goodwill of others. A little bit of extra caution can help prevent you from being a victim of these crimes.
Cheatham County Sheriff's Office
