01/30/2026
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St. Clairsville Police are asking everyone to be very wary of any phone calls, online contacts, or mailings that are likely scams. We have noticed an increase in reports to our agency and the surrounding agencies.
Specifically, never trust anyone who calls you, claiming to represent a business or agency, even if you recognize the caller ID, and asks you to provide personal or financial account information.
This can include doctors' offices, hospitals, banks, credit card companies, Microsoft, Apple, department stores, Social Security, the IRS, Medicare, Medicaid, and similar institutions. They need to simply tell them they will call them back, hang up, and find the listed number in the phone book, online, on the back of your credit card, etc., and place the call to that number themselves to find out if there is a real issue that needs to be addressed. This ensures they are speaking to the real person, department, or agency that said there is an issue requiring them to provide any personal or financial information. Also, no real business or agency will ever require or ask you to make a payment by purchasing gift cards, using Bitcoin, or by taking cash and meeting someone to give it to them.
Older people seem to be targeted more often. We find that they often didn’t reach out for advice or help before it was too late because they didn’t want to be embarrassed or to give the impression that they couldn’t do things on their own. These scammers are very sophisticated, and it is very confusing to tell what is real and what is not. It is nothing to be embarrassed about, and if you aren’t sure, reach out to a family member or to us.
Chief Matt Arbenz