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Officials warn to be wary of scams

By Jon Andreassi 4 min read
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article imageRob Burchianti | Herald-Standard

Frazier’s Josh Girvin (50) tackles Monessen’s Jayden Majors (20) during Friday night’s game at Commodore Stadium.

The start of a new year is a busy time for scammers seeking to steal your personal information.

AARP Pennsylvania issued this warning in a press release Thursday, noting that their tactics continue to evolve and get more deceptive with new technology.

“In this digital age, where scams are increasingly sophisticated, we urge everyone to adopt a mindset of ‘stop, think, and verify’ before making any decisions involving money or personal information,” said Mary Bach, chair of the organization’s consumer issues task force, in the release.

In Washington, Chief of Police Steve DeVenney said his department has been getting recent reports from residents who believe they were the target of a scam.

“They occur, of course, anytime, but there seems to be an increase around the holidays,” DeVenney said. “Whether by email, phone solicitation, text messaging. Multiple different means.”

Tom Kolencik, public information officer with Uniontown police, said scams are reported on a daily basis.

“Not too often do people actually go for it or fall for it. They do recognize that it is a scam, and they call us to report it. There is not a lot we can do in regard to investigating these. The people who are calling aren’t even in the country,” Kolencik said.

Many of these will be callers trying to get the victim’s banking information, or to provide gift card codes. Callers often disguise themselves as your bank, the sheriff or even an attorney seeking bail money for a relative. Scammers sometimes make use of publicly available information on social media to help sound legitimate.

“Be careful with your social media and what you post. Keep your accounts private,” Kolencik said. “You can put these people on hold or hang up, and go to the police. Ask to see if it is legitimate. If it is important, they will call you back.”

Kolencik urged that people seek verification before engaging with strangers asking for money, because it will be near impossible to recover any stolen funds.

“We’d sooner help you weed through whether this is a real request or not than have to back track and try to get the money into your account,” Kolencik said.

Canonsburg police Chief Alex Coghill agreed scam victims are unlikely to ever get their money back. To avoid that, he suggested making sure you know your bank’s policy for notifying you about payment issues.

Coghill said these scams will sometimes include a letterhead or website that appears legitimate.

“It’s not hard to copy a logo and make it look like an official site,” Coghill said.

The AARP’s website warns of multiple scams making use of new technology.

According to AARP, scammers can use a recording to create a “deep fake” version of your voice. That can then be used to impersonate you with a bank or insurance provider.

A scam becoming more common has people sending money to those on the internet they believe to be celebrities. In July 2022, Pennsylvania state police reported that a Washington County woman sent $250 in gift cards to someone she believed to be British Actor Henry Cavill, under the pretense it was for a meet-and-greet event.

To avoid being the victim of a scam, the AARP recommends exercising caution with any unexpected phone calls, texts or emails, using secure payment methods and to verify requests through independent means.

Suspected scams can be reported to the state attorney general’s office at https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/submit-a-complaint/scams-complaint/.

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