BAKER — Dorothy Johnson wants other North Okaloosa County residents to beware of telephone and mail-based scams.
She received a letter in the mail that stated she'd won an award in a Japanese lottery.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, which has issued 12 scam alerts this year, says the types of scams to look out for include the following:
●Job and work-at-home scams. Fake job ads and employment applications are listed on legitimate job sites and news sites. They entice you to "be your own boss" or "make extra money" from the comfort of your home. These usually require up-front payments with little to no recourse when things don't work out.
●Vishing. This is similar to phishing by phone, but involves voice mail. A con-artist will call or send a text posing as a representative of your financial institution alerting you that there is a problem with your account, debit or credit card and that you must call back immediately to remedy the situation. Their goal is to get your account information.
●Loan modification. Scammers offer to have their "experts" conduct "forensic audits" of your mortgage or loans to determine if the banks have violated any laws and owe you money. Some offer to "restructure" your debt. But these come with high up-front fees for loans that often never materialize.
●Craigslist scammers. They work both sides of the online site, pretending to either have something for sale or to be a buyer for a listed item. Scammers "accidentally" send victims a check for an amount far greater than the purchase price, ask them to wire the difference back to them, minus a small amount to compensate you for your trouble. The payment they send is no good, and by the time the bank discovers it, the funds have already been taken out of the victim's account.
●Charity fraud. This holiday season, don't forget to check out charities before donating.
For detailed reports that rate charities and tell you how your donations will be used, go to these national charity watchdog resources on the Internet: www.give.org; www.charitynavigator.org.
For information on local charities, contact the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org or call 850-429-0026.
To report a fraud or scam call the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office Fraud & Scam Hotline at 651-7674.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 5 types of scams circulating in Okaloosa County