'No-Scam November' initiative announced for second year

The following is a release from the Worcester County State's Attorney: 


Worcester County’s Vulnerable Adult Task Force is pleased to announce their continued efforts to educate and raise awareness about common fraud schemes with the second annual “No-Scam November” Initiative. The focus of “No-Scam November” is prevention of scams before they cause financial damage to the victim, as inherent difficulties exist in the investigation and identification of high-tech scammers and in the attempts to recover the victim’s money. State’s Attorney Kris Heiser noted the addition of a certified fraud examiner to her investigative team, significantly increasing the resources being devoted to the growing problem of elder abuse, and highlighted strong public-private partnerships as critical to scam-prevention.

Law enforcement continues to see an increase in the number of reported fraud cases, and senior citizens are the most frequent target. In Worcester County, the most common types of fraud currently experienced are gift card scams. Scammers have been targeting victims either by phone or by email, often claiming that there is an emergency situation the victim must buy gift cards to resolve. The scammer typically then requests the code on the back of the gift card so they can use it online. The scammer may claim to be the IRS, or claim that a family member of the victim has been arrested and needs bail money. In another common scam, the victim is told that they have won a contest or prize money, but in order to collect their winnings, they must buy gift cards totaling a small portion of the total prize they will eventually be sent by the scammer. Many times, the scammer stays on the phone with the victim while the victim travels to the store to purchase the gift cards, to make sure that the scam is successful and that the victim cannot pause to consider whether they should actually go through with the purchase.

To combat these gift card scams, throughout month of November, the Maryland State Police, Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and Ocean Pines Police Department will be conducting community outreach efforts and providing local businesses with free signage, provided by the Office of the State’s Attorney, that can be attached to any gift-card display case. These warning signs are designed to shake would-be victims into realizing and recognizing the scam in the moment, especially if they are still on the phone with the scammer, and encourage them to press pause and exercise caution before making a purchase. New this year, the signs will display a QR code that links the public to even more information on scams from reliable online sources. These signs, along with outreach by prosecutors and police will also help local businesses and shop owners to educate their staff to know the signs of a gift card scam before ringing up the victim’s purchase, and to contact police whenever they suspect a scam.

State’s Attorney Heiser thanked all business owners who participated in “No-Scam November” last year and applauded the partnerships between local businesses and law enforcement that allow our Worcester County communities to help prevent gift card scams.

Businesses wishing to participate in “No-Scam November” can request their free giftcard scam signage from either the Berlin Barrack, the Ocean Pines Police Department, or the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office. To report any type of suspected elder abuse, including suspected gift card scams, please contact your local law enforcement agency.