Ahead of tax season, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has publicized some recent scams to help residents recognize warning signs of deception and protect themselves from fraud.
Recent scams
- One man was scammed out of $60,000 by unidentified suspects pretending to be Apple tech support and bank fraud investigators.
- One woman applied to rent a property on Craigslist. She sent a total of $6,340 to cover her security deposit and one month of rent. She then visited the address and found out it was already occupied. An investigation is ongoing.
- One man received a phone call instructing him to pay $6,000 to the fire department for a fire inspection at his workplace. He took the money from a register and safe and deposited $1,360 via cryptocurrency exchange Coinme. His coworker then informed him it was a scam.
- One individual received a call from someone pretending to be from “Second Chance Monitoring and Rehabilitation.” The scammer claimed they had received a referral from the Santa Cruz Probation Department for the individual’s incarcerated son. The victim sent $2,038 via Venmo to release their son from custody, admit him into a residential facility and equip him with an ankle monitor. The victim grew suspicious after the scammer requested another $2,038, promising to refund the original amount.
- One woman said that while working on her computer, it turned off, and a voice offered her help. She agreed to give them remote access to her computer, paying them $500 for a two-year protection program.
- One panicked woman called 911 after receiving a call from someone who claimed they were “the Mexican drug cartel” and had kidnapped the victim’s daughter. A deputy recognized the common scam and helped her contact her daughter.
The sheriff’s office anticipates an increase in Internal Revenue Service impersonators over the coming months as the April 15 deadline for filing income tax returns approaches. Scammers can use technology to mimic people’s voices or disguise their phone numbers, making scams even harder to spot.
For help verifying any requests for personal information or money from strangers, contact the sheriff’s office at 831-471-1121 for 24/7 assistance.
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