Despite Utah’s strong feeling of community and neighbourly attitude, scammers’ ever-evolving tactics nevertheless affect the state. In fact, people who want to con unwary locals can occasionally take use of these very characteristics.
Scammers’ tactics to target people and their hard-earned money change along with technological advancements and changes in the economy.
Your first line of defence against these dishonest activities is to stay informed.
This article explains five of the most recent and common scams that are going around in Utah, giving you the information you need to see the warning signs and keep you and your loved ones from falling victim to them again.
To protect your financial well-being in the Beehive State, you must be aware of these hazards, which range from intricate web schemes to dishonest in-person scammers.
Emergency Scams Targeting Grandparents and Other Family Members
Scammers pose as grandchildren or members of the family who are in need of assistance and make a desperate request for money to cover unexpected expenses such as bail or medical costs.
For the purpose of seeming credible, they frequently collect personal information from social media.
Smishing Attacks
There have been reports of residents receiving unsolicited text messages that contain links to various harmful websites.
Simply clicking on these sites may put your personal information at risk or result in a loss of financial resources.
Those in authority warn against engaging in conversation with unknown senders and clicking on links that appear to be questionable.
Government Impersonation Scams
Con artists pose as representatives from the Utah Division of Professional Licencing (DOPL) and call licenced professionals, threatening them with the suspension of their licences or the opening of criminal investigations in order to coerce them into paying them money.
They provide the impression of being legitimate by using phone numbers that are faked and titles that sound official.
Jury Duty Scams
Scammers phone people and tell them that they have missed their jury duty and that they need to pay a fine right away in order to avoid being arrested.
A common method of payment that they require is the use of prepaid gift cards or wire transfers. There is a strong emphasis placed by the Utah State Courts that they do not request payments over the phone.
Scams involving Utility Payments
People are receiving phone calls from individuals who are pretending to be from utility providers and threatening to stop their service immediately if they do not make a payment.
These con artists frequently ask for payment through non-traditional means, such as prepaid cards.
In order to protect themselves from these ever-evolving frauds, residents are strongly encouraged to maintain vigilance, verify communications that are not solicited, and report suspicious actions to the authorities in their particular area.
Leave a Reply