York County Press Release
YORK – Scam artists are alive and well, doing their best to fraudulently steal money and identities from unsuspecting people, all year round. But they use even more creative tactics/scenarios during the holidays and York County Sheriff Paul Vrkba wants to warn people about scam attempts going on now.
One scam circulating now has to do with holiday packages. Sheriff Vrbka knows full well the scam is going on now locally, because he received an email trying to entice him, as well as some of his staff members.
He said the fraudulent email tells the recipient how a package is waiting for them to pick it up. However, the recipients are asked to provide private information first, which makes no sense and is just a way for the scammers to get that information.
“Plus, if you look very closely at the email address, it’s a strange address that has nothing to do with delivery services,” Sheriff Vrbka said. “Do not respond. Delete the email. It is a scam.”
York County Sheriff Captain Josh Gillespie also wanted to remind individuals this is the time of year scammers pull out all the stops to pretend they are representing law enforcement agencies in their effort to “solicit donations to further those institutions. No type of legitimate donation solicitation for law enforcement agencies takes place. No law enforcement agencies solicit for donations. Do not respond to these calls, messages or emails. These are scams.”
“We want people to be extra careful around the holidays, because this is the time of year when people are more giving and the scammers know that,” Sheriff Vrbka said. “And they play on that.”
Both remind everyone to “just be very careful when making donations and responding to inquiries about packages, holiday-related matters, etc. Make sure you know exactly what an organization is and does before making any contributions. Do your homework. Keep it local because it will be reliably real.
And remember to never, ever give out your private information as legitimate businesses/organizations/entities will not ask for that type of information. Just be careful. And if something seems fishy, simply hang up the phone, delete the email, delete the text.”
They also noted that if someone is scammed or attempts have been made against them, they should call the sheriff’s department or their local law enforcement agency.
