Scams continue to cost residents tens of thousands of dollars
DOVER – Law enforcement officials say scammers and hackers continue to get smarter and bolder while recently victimizing Tuscarawas County residents for tens of thousands of dollars.
Two scams reported last month cost two Dover residents a total of $37,000 dollars. One resident reported getting fooled by a crypto-currency scam for $17,000.
Another said they gave approximately $20,000 via money apps and pre-paid cards to someone claiming to be a private investigator.
Police say there is little they can do to catch the perpetrators. They are savvy and likely in another country.
Police say people should arm themselves with knowledge and suspicion of anyone who asks them for money or identifying information.
Inmate Trust Fund Fraud
Somebody tried to rip off the Tuscarawas County Jail by charging their Spectrum bill to the inmate trust fund.
Sheriff Orvis Campbell says they’re on the case.
He explained that once released, inmates get a check for the balance on their account. Someone got the routing number off that check and used it to pay for TV services.
He thinks authorities will be able to catch the perpetrator by tracing the routing number to the account.
Campbell says the amount was in the hundreds of dollars. Some has been reimbursed by Spectrum and he expects the culprit will have to reimburse the rest.
SNAP skimming
Another widespread fraud involves skimming and phishing funds off public assistance SNAP EBT cards – formerly food stamps.
Again, police say the perpetrators are savvy and hard to stop. They can make it look like the SNAP card is being used for food purchases but they’re really just taking money from it.
Cardholders should protect their card number and pin as best they can and watch out for fraudulent activity. They can get a new card and report fraud to local law enforcement.