Union County Sheriff’s Sgt. Bob Calamari usually opens his scam classes by prompting the audience to answer a simple question: “Can you hear me?” When they answer in the affirmative, Calamari warns them they would have just fallen for a scam if they had been on the phone.
But this time, at his Oct. 14 Scam Awareness Class, he began by revealing that a different tactic has become more common, with vigilance nevertheless necessary to avoid it. Now, scammers are targeting their victims through text messages to gain access to their phones.
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Calamari warned that the capabilities of modern cellphones essentially make them small computers. With how often most people use them, it’s no wonder some of the most sensitive data of a person’s life can be readily found on his or her phone. When scammers gain access to the device, the results are often devastating.
Fortunately, the Union County Sheriff’s Office is a step ahead, and Calamari’s classes are working. To illustrate, he shared some impressive statistics that reflect a public body that is more informed than ever.
Between November 2023 and November 2024, Union Countians lost $901,845 to fraudulent activity. Of that, $269,643 was recovered. Compare that to the totals from January to October of this year, with a loss of $104,903.59. Not only was some of that money recovered, but there was money saved from would-be thieves, resulting in a total of $134,972.32.
Calamari warned of different kinds of scams, walking his students through everything from online romance scams in which predators lie about their identity and play the long game, to “pervert scams,” where the would-be thief accuses a victim of looking at explicit material before demanding hush money.
Other tactics include “brushing,” where a random package is sent right to the victim’s doorstep, indicating that their identity has been leaked. While the “free” contents are usually cheap items, sometimes these boxes may contain phones, which arrive loaded with trackers and malware.
Fittingly, Cassandra “Cassie” Gray of Tri-State Tech Support returned to take over the second half of the class, educating guests on how to keep safe digitally.
There are ways to customize one’s experience browsing the internet depending on what they want out of a browser, but more than that, there are options both big and small to ensure their most sensitive information never falls into the wrong hands.
For example, Google Chrome is a great browser to use because of its widespread support, but Mozilla Firefox appeals to others due to its focus on privacy. No matter what browser people prefer, it’s important to take advantage of the in-built security features most of them possess, such as password protectors.
Anyone who frequently utilizes the internet in public spaces might benefit from a VPN, but those who conduct their business at home may find it bogs down their devices’ functions.
Regardless, Tri-State Tech Support is just one of the several organizations that partner with the Union County Sheriff’s Office to help those who may have fallen victim to scammers. Gray doesn’t charge to give advice and said she would be proud to help anyone set up their devices with proper safety in mind or help recover as much as possible from a security breach.
Stay tuned to the Sheriff’s Office for announcements regarding the date, time and location of the next Scam Awareness Class.
