BOZEMAN — Have you ever gotten a call or text that made you think...hmm, this is suspicious? Well, you’re not alone. After recent chatter online about scams going around, I headed over to the Bozeman Public Safety Center to learn what the Bozeman Police Department has been seeing.
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I asked Bozeman Police Detective Jake Ahmann if he ever gets these kind of scam texts.
“Personally? I probably get two or three a week. So, it’s a lot,” he says.
Ahmann has been with Bozeman PD for around nine years and tells me even he, a detective who specializes in property crimes, gets scam texts and calls all the time. In fact?
“This morning was a good example. I actually got a scam text on my personal phone,” Ahmann says.
“It’s a phone number that’s not in my contact list. And it’s telling me that I qualify for a free smart scale, smart watch, and blood pressure monitor. And I just have to call this number or reply YES to learn more about it," he continues.
And I was curious how often these types of scams get reported to the police department.
“We do get a lot of calls. We find out about them when people are out funds. But I still say it goes under-reported just because there is a sense of embarrassment that people feel. Which, there's no shame in this,” says Ahmann.
So, how can you avoid being scammed? Here’s what Ahmann says to look out for:
“The common trend is to play on your emotions. So, either excitement. You’ve won something right?”
Such as the text Jake received this morning. Or...
“Fear. You missed jury duty, you have a warrant out for your arrest unless you pay me. Or some kind of concern for others. Like your nephew is in trouble and needs help getting out of jail,” Ahmann explains.
Ahmann tells me, another indicator? Scammers asking for gift cards or bitcoin because it’s harder for police to track. Ahmann also suggests never clicking on a link sent to you by anyone that’s not in your contact list. Most importantly?
“You should never be parting ways with any of your personal information or your financial information on the phone. It’s just not wise," Ahmann says.
And if you find yourself in a situation where you think you have been scammed?
“Call the police department. Call the non-emergent dispatch line first. Immediately call your financial institution, let them know what's going on," Ahmann says.
If you paid via credit card, freeze it. Debit card? Have your bank put a fraud watch on your account, and monitor that for at least seven months.
“If you’re not sure if it’s a scam or not, I would say just don’t answer it. If someone really needs to get ahold of you, they’ll find a way to get ahold of you. That would save us a lot of heartache and you a lot of heartache in the end as well,” says Ahmann.
