PORTSMOUTH — Scioto County Sheriff David Thoroughman said his office has recently got a complaint from a citizen, advising of a scam involving the use of fake checks.
The resident said that they received what appeared to be a legitimate check and then they starting getting texts advising them to deposit the check immediately and then message back when the check was deposited.
Thoroughman said that fortunately, this scam attempt had a good outcome because the resident did their research and found that this was a scam.
Thoroughman would like to remind everyone to never deposit a check and send money back to someone. And, never pay someone who insists you pay with a gift card or by using a money transfer service.
Stop and talk to someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell someone — a friend, a family member, a neighbor — what happened. Talking about it could help you realize it’s a scam.
Thoroughman said there are four signs that something is a scam.
• Scammers pretend to be from an organization you know and often pretend to be contacting you on behalf of the government. They might use a real name, like the Social Security Administration, the IRS or Medicare, or make up a name that sounds official. Some pretend to be from a business you know, like a utility company or even a charity asking for donations.
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