Scams and Fraud

Fraud

Signs of Identity Theft

  • Accounts on your Credit Report that you did not open

  • Receiving bills or collections for purchases you did not make

  • Transactions on your statement you did not authorize

  • Unanticipated Mail

  • Receiving unexpected Two-Factor Authentication Codes

  • Unfamiliar devices linked to your online accounts

How to Report Identity Theft

  • The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) online here or call 1-877-438-4338

  • Contact the major credit reporting agencies to start a fraud alert and credit freeze

  • Contact the fraud department of your account

How Identity Theft Happens

  • Stolen wallet, financial transaction cards, Identification, or checks

  • Not shredding documents with account information before discarding

  • Opening "phishing" emails or texts

  • Too much personal information on social media accounts

  • Using public Wi-Fi

  • Saving login information in unsecure location

  • Filling out online surveys or quizzes that ask for personal information

  • Callers impersonating family members asking for money to get out of jail or ransom

Common Scams

Impersonating Government Officials

Federal, State, or Local Law Enforcement will never contact you and solicit money in lieu of arrest or prosecution. Scammers will sometimes impersonate real officers who's information they found online in order to try to authenticate their scam. Any time something feels wrong, you should request their name and agency, then contact that agency directly and request to speak with the named individual

Publishers Clearing House

If you are called by someone claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House saying you have won a large sum of money and you are asked to send them funds or account information, it is a scam. PCH asks you to call 800-392-4190 if you are contacted in this manner or believe you are being scammed

Marketplace and other online sales boards

If you list something for sale on a public forum, you may be contacted by someone stating that they will pay your full asking price as well as shipping costs, they may even send you a check. This is a frequent tactic used by scammers to get you to deposit their check and send the product. This is a scam, the safest means to receive funds for products you are selling privately is by cash using small bills. Money orders, cashiers checks, and transactions through smartphone apps can all be fraudulent

Resources

Most internet fraud and scams are not investigated by the St Anthony Police Department, but are handled by Federal Authorities. That reporting process can be completed by following the links listed on this page. Federal Authorities that specialize in Cyber Crime have the specialty tools and resources to investigate cyber and identity theft crime that local departments do not have. The St Anthony Police Department does, however, have officers and an investigator to handle physical theft that occurs inside of St Anthony City Limits.