A video goes viral on Monday, and by Tuesday someone has turned it into a scam. Starting this week, the State is running a campaign on social media, on Vice City Metro and at the State service centers to help people check before they tap, pay or share.
Reports of online fraud to State agencies are up by a third this year. The scams change every week, but they always want the same things: money right now, a code sent to your phone, or your personal details.
The five scams going around
- Lottery giveaways: accounts posing as winners who “share” their jackpot for a fee. The Leonida Lottery never asks you to pay to collect a prize
- Toll texts: a message about an unpaid LeoPass toll, with a link. Open your account yourself instead
- Storm fundraisers: pages collecting for hurricane victims that nobody has heard of. Give through organizations you know
- Alligator removal: “trappers” who charge to take an alligator away. POACH’s licensed trappers are free
- Rentals too good to be true: an Ocean Beach apartment at half price, deposit by wire. Never pay for a place you have not seen
If a stranger online needs your money in the next ten minutes, it can wait ten minutes. Close the app, and check with us first.
If you lost money, tell your bank at once and report it to your local police, such as the VCPD, with screenshots, dates and receipts. The sites of the State of Leonida and its agencies always end in leonida.gov.
