Criminal scammers are more prevalent than ever in today’s high tech world.
According to CBS Pittsburgh, some scams steal more than just a few bucks from people, and could actually pose a serious threat to Americans.
People are ordering more prescription medications online than ever before, but this new innovation is creating more opportunity for criminal con artists.
“My drug plan makes it cheaper to order online,” said Roberta, a prescription drug customer who was contacted by what she thought was the Drug Enforcement Administration and accused of illegally buying drugs.
Jen Levinson, another online customer who was contacted by an alleged DEA agent, said that she was threatened with a warrant for her arrest if she refused to pay an expensive fine.
“Typically, somebody will call an individual representing that they’re a DEA agent,” said DEA special agent John Wilson. “Usually, these people have purchased pharmaceuticals either by telephone or on a website, and they’ll tell the person that it’s illegal to do so and that they need to pay a fine to the government.”
It’s important to keep in mind that if there is a government issue, a person will be contacted via U.S. mail and not over the phone.
Another type of scam that’s been occurring lately, especially during hurricane season, is the roofing scam.
In normal circumstances, a homeowner should have their roof inspected at least once or twice a year, but with all the inclement weather going on across the country, more and more people are in need of increased service.
Scammers are trying to take advantage of this by offering roof repair online for relatively inexpensive prices, but charging a lot up front and then never performing any work.
Beware of any and all online communication because of the increase in scam activity.