Several different types of scams are going around, Linwood police warned.
They often come via email, with some pretending to be from the U.S. Postal Service or Amazon, but they also include text messages, as the recent "unpaid toll" texts that have been spreading.
It should noted that all of these scam attempts are from incoming messages, police posted on social media.
One of the easiest ways to identify whether or not an email is a scam is to check the sender's email.
In the case of the "Amazon Scam," the sender's email is "(redacted)@stephanielcalvert.com" and not an official Amazon email.
Another way to spot a scam is to hover your mouse over any included link, but do not click.
In the case of the "Amazon Scam," the link points to a Google Drive account, not an official Amazon page.
Police warn not to click on any links you are unsure about and to never enter information on a webpage unless you are certain it's legitimate.
Additional clues of scams are misspelled words, awkward grammar and wording, incorrect punctuation, and emails or solicitations from companies you have never purchased from or done business with.
Some scams involve unsolicited telephone calls.
Be cautious when receiving unexpected calls, especially if the caller is pushy, asks for detailed personal information or demands that you answer using "yes" or "no" only.
Often, these callers already have information about you that they will use to try to gain your trust or appear to have credibility, but if it doesn't seem right, it probably isn't right.
Ask these callers for a callback number and double-check the callback number against a list of official company numbers by conducting an internet search or calling the company directly at a known number and asking for the person who called you.
Now that tax season is here, be wary of Internal Revenue Service scams.
The IRS does not call or email you. They only send regular mail via the United States Postal Service.
The IRS will not call you and threaten to have you arrested by the Sheriff's Department unless you immediately pay them, especially if they insist on being paid via Walmart, CVS, Home Depot or other store gift cards or demand that you pay via wire transfer, such as Western Union or Wells Fargo.
If you may have unknowingly provided information to a scammer, Linwood police at 609-926-7979.
If you did not provide any information, you can delete the email, click the "report spam" button or ignore it.
If you happen to receive a telephone call that doesn't seem legitimate, just hang up and block the number. There is no need to file a police report in these situations,
Police also strongly encourage anyone who may have been scammed to file an additional report with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center by visiting ic3.gov and clicking the red "File a Complaint" button.
