The Frisco Police Department is issuing a public advisory to raise awareness about the prevalence and rise of reported phone and internet scams targeting residents in our community. With the advancement of technology, scammers have devised increasingly convincing and sophisticated tactics to exploit individuals, posing a serious threat to personal and financial security. The Frisco Police Department has noted that recent calls have been coming from victims of all ages and backgrounds.
Scams can include phishing emails, text messages, and phone calls impersonating legitimate organizations or government agencies. These scams aim to deceive individuals into providing sensitive information such as personal identification, banking details, or passwords, ultimately leading to financial loss or identity theft.
How to Identify, Report, and Protect Yourself from Scams
In light of these risks, the Frisco Police Department urges residents to take proactive measures to protect themselves:
- Exercise Caution: Be cautious when receiving unsolicited communications, whether via phone, email, or text message. If in any doubt, let the caller know that you will look up their company’s or organization’s phone number through an independent source, such as an internet search, and call them back on the number that you find. Legitimate companies or organizations that you are familiar with and who have your business will not object to being called back, after you verify legitimate contact information.
- Avoid Clicking Unfamiliar Links: Be wary of clicking on links or downloading attachments from unfamiliar or suspicious sources in emails or text messages. These may contain malware designed to compromise your device or steal sensitive information.
- Protect Personal Information: Safeguard your personal and financial information by refraining from sharing it with unknown parties, especially over the phone or online. Legitimate organizations will not request sensitive information without proper verification protocols. Again, if there is any doubt that it is a legitimate call, hang up, find the organization’s or company’s contact information, and call them back using that independently verified information.
- Remain Alert and Critical: Legitimate business transactions will not include urgent demands to wire money or to purchase and provide gift cards as payment. They will also not include threats to expose illegal content on your phone or computer; this is a known tactic and is effective as it incites fear. Always consider whether something seems customary or usual to the normal course of business, and if it does not, then hang up or do not answer or click on suspicious emails or texts.
- Report Suspicious Activity: If you encounter suspicious communication or believe you are or have been targeted by a scam, report it to the Frisco Police Department immediately. The Frisco Police Department is here to serve the community and would welcome a call if you need assistance verifying the legitimacy of a call, email, or text. Prompt reporting can help prevent further victimization and aid in the investigation of these crimes.
- A Shame Free Zone: These scams are largely effective because victims or even potential victims feel shame and embarrassment. The Frisco Police Department wants to emphasize that there are victims of all ages and backgrounds who have fallen for scams because scammers are very good at what they do. When contacting the Frisco Police Department to report or check on a possible scam, please know that you will always be met with respect and caring no matter the situation.
How to Report Scams or Verify if a Call is Legitimate or Not
- The Colorado Bureau of Investigation hosts a 24-hour phone fraud hotline at 855-443-3489, and if they don’t answer immediately, then they will usually call back within 15 minutes after you leave a message. When you report a suspected scam, please be prepared to provide the telephone number used by the suspected fraudulent caller and a summary of the scam.
- The Frisco Police Department office, at 970-668-3579, is open from Monday-Friday from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm and is here to assist and advise the community when calls seem suspicious or fraudulent.
- If you need to speak to a Frisco Police Officer or are calling outside of office hours, please call Summit County’s non-emergency dispatch phone number at 970-668-8600, or in the case of an emergency, please call 911.