Horrible! Law Enforcement Scams Becoming a Problem in East Texas

We have heard for years to watch out for scammers, and we all try our best to avoid them, but as we’re being reminded by law enforcement they are getting clever when targeting towns in East Texas. The reason I wanted to bring this to your attention is because I almost fell victim to a scam because I was busy at work one day and almost gave my bank account information to someone without thinking about it. The last thing I want you to do is become a victim. Recently scammers have been posing as law enforcement when contacting citizens trying to scam money out of them. 

Police departments in Tyler, Longview, Lindale, and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office have been trying to spread the word about the latest scams in East Texas and these scammers might even look like they are calling from a local police department number. They will either ask for money to bail out a friend or family member (after they do some research on your friends and family), or say that you have a warrant out for your arrest. 

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Stay Calm If You Think a Scammer is Targeting You 

Remember that no law enforcement of any kind is going to call you and tell you to pay something over the phone. That’s not how it works, especially if they insist that you pay with cryptocurrency or gift cards. It’s easy to get frustrated and overwhelmed by these scammers, try to remain calm and do not give out any personal or banking information. 

Contact the Police if Scammers Call You 

If a scammer asks for information or says you have to pay anything, hang up the phone immediately. But you will still want to contact your local law enforcement so they can spread the word to others in the community so everyone stays vigilant to these types of scams.  

Be careful!