The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is reminding everyone this holiday season often brings with it an uptick in cell phone, internet and jury duty scams, among a host of others. The sheriff’s office took multiple such reports in the past few weeks. Fortunately, most cases ended with the potential victim refusing to give money and contacting law enforcement.
Some of the most common scams occur when thieves falsely identify themselves as law enforcement officers and make false claims to potential victims about missing jury duty or some other lie about a fake (or even real) criminal case, to extort money.
If someone contacts you asking for money, purporting to be from a law enforcement agency, any government organization or utility company, a bank, a credit card company, and so forth — hang up and contact the organization yourself.
A sure sign of a scam is anyone asking for payment for anything via gift cards or Bitcoin.
If you receive a distressing message from a family member/friend needing money immediately, always contact that family member/friend before sending money. If possible, save the text, email, or any other information and contact the sheriff’s office directly via www.keysso.net/locations.
Residents can also use the sheriff’s office substations and headquarters (hours and locations at www.keysso.net/locations) building as safe zones for making purchases/transactions in person. The Key West Police Department is also offering this assistance at its headquarters on North Roosevelt Boulevard. Those who are worried about giving strangers their home address — or meeting with strangers in general — to make transactions can do so safely at law enforcement buildings. Both the buyer and seller’s privacy are protected in this way.
Be leery of deals that sound too good to be true or implore you to act immediately. Be cautious of links that are provided in emails and online advertising. Keep valuables out of view and locked securely in your vehicle.
