Common Scams Targeting Central Ohio

In December of 2017 alone, consumers in Central Ohio disclosed that they’ve lost over $5,000 to scams. The Better Business Bureau conducted an analysis of 36 Scam Tracker reports from the month and found the four scams listed below significantly affect Central Ohio consumers. If you have been hurt by a scam, it is in your best interest to reach out to our Ohio debt help attorneys at Luftman, Heck & Associates today at (888) 726-3181.

Phone Scams

The majority of scams from December 2017 came from phone calls. In order to protect yourself from a phone scam, you should refrain from answering calls from any numbers you do not recognize. It’s important to understand that if a caller is legitimate, they will leave you a voicemail.

In the event you receive a recorded message that directs you to press a number to be removed from the call list, hang up. This way, you won’t confirm that you have a working number and reduce your risk of getting scammed again in the future.

If someone calls you and claims to be from a notable business, charity, or government agency, hang up, search for the organization’s phone number, and call back to make sure you are not speaking to a scammer that is attempting to impersonate a trustworthy organization.

Debt Collection Scams

A disabled veteran in Columbus was the victim of a threatening phone call from someone who claimed to be collecting their cell phone debt from a decade ago. If you receive a call from an individual who portrays themselves as a debt collector, ask them to provide you with an official debt validation notice that includes the creditor’s name, the amount of debt, and a statement of rights. Hang up if the individual is unable to provide you with this notice and never provide bank account, credit card, or other personal information over the phone.

Tech Support Scams

A woman in Lexington was on her computer when she noticed a pop-up with Apple’s contact information. She called the phone number that was listed and got a hold of someone who stated she was being hacked and would need to purchase Visa and iTunes to correct the issue. She lost $2,500 after purchasing the gift cards.

To protect yourself from tech support scams, avoid giving anyone remote access to your computer and be wary of anyone who calls you and claims to be from Apple or another popular tech company. In addition, don’t believe what you see on your caller ID and realize that you should not be receiving pop-ups from programs you have not installed.

Employment Scams

A Hilltop woman was browsing through job opportunities on Indeed.com and found a personal assistant position. She received assignments and a check in the mail from the employer and was told to deposit it and send some money back. Once she deposited the check, she used Walmart money transfer to send some money back.

Later, the bank informed her that the check was fraudulent and she was left with a $1,900 withdrawal fine. Since scammers can easily create illegitimate websites and jobs, you should be wary of work from home opportunities that guarantee lots of money for little work. Additionally, do not accept a job from a company that only interviews you via phone or orders you to wire money for supplies or fees.

Contact Our Ohio Debt Lawyers Today

If you believe you are a victim of a scam, you should contact experienced attorney Jeremiah Heck of Luftman, Heck & Associates today at (888) 726-3181.