Be cautious when sharing your personal information, especially in a “smishing” scam, where fraudsters send deceptive messages to trick people into revealing sensitive details. This allows them to steal credit card numbers and other personal data.

Even those who are tech-savvy can fall victim to scams, such as fake text messages pretending to be from the Postal Service. These messages may claim that a package can’t be delivered due to an incorrect address, prompting you to take action.

Here’s how it usually unfolds: You’re busy when you get a message. Knowing you have deliveries on the way, you quickly fill out your address and payment details on a website that looks completely legitimate. Only moments later, you realize you might have made a costly mistake.

The USPS offers tips through its website on sniffing out “smishing,” but it all boils down to the basics of don’t click a link you don’t recognize and can’t verify and always be cautious about providing personal information when someone reaches out to you. Hackers send out hundreds of thousands of text messages a day hoping a small percentage of recipients will fall for their scam.

Older Americans are increasingly being caught up in elaborate scams designed by perpetrators to drain them of their retirement savings, with the detail and scale of such scams sometimes requiring the intervention of federal law enforcement. Subjects of interviews were ensnared in scams that could be so elaborate it’s as if they were created in a writer’s room testing different plot devices. Scammers can impersonate government officials, tech support staff or love interests. They coach victims on how to sidestep fraud prevention measures at financial institutions, and they use manipulative psychological tactics — isolation, a sense of urgency or preying on people’s willingness to trust or connect — to keep the scam going.

Retirees have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in retirement savings due to the persistent efforts of these bad actors. A gentleman lost this money over a period of only three months, spending just about every weekday doing the legwork and making withdrawals from his bank accounts as part of an intricate scam. He believed he was helping the feds safeguard his money and catch thieves who were after it. Such scammers are present in a variety of online areas, including dating websites, social media platforms, messaging apps and through the use of invasive, malicious software — just to name a few. The nature of these schemes makes it nearly impossible to recover the money, leaving victims with little recourse. The stolen funds are often whisked to overseas accounts or laundered through cryptocurrency wallets, which are quickly emptied. The losses are sometimes exacerbated by taxes. Withdrawals from retirement accounts — especially in such large amounts — can often come with a heavy tax bill that the victims have few resources to cover after being scammed.

Here’s what happens…

A person comes into the bank to withdraw $10,000 for a fraudulent scheme supposedly to pay a bondsman on a fraudulent arrest warrant for missing jury duty. The caller poses as a Sergeant in the Sheriff’s dept instructing the customer to pay the bond or turn himself into the local police station. The fraudsters will often send pictures of an arrest warrant, which looked very official, with instructions to make payment to a bitcoin kiosk.

What we can do….

We can call the Sheriff’s department to verify that they do not call or issue arrest warrants for missing jury duty. We can then provide the details of the scam to a Deputy Sheriff, so they can stay aware of these ongoing incidents.

If someone has asked you to purchase a gift card and share the PIN numbers to pay for things like the FTC, FBI, or IRS fees, keep your Social Security benefits, keep your utilities on (electricity, water, or heat), pay for tech support, help a family member in trouble, assist a servicemember needing money, pay bail or ransom, avoid arrest or deportation, or fix any problem for any reason? If you answered yes, hang up immediately—it’s a scam.

If you’ve been scammed, report the incident to the gift card company. You should also ask for your money back and then report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Here are the contact details for some major gift card companies:

• Amazon: 888-280-4331
• Apple iTunes: 800-275-2273
• eBay: ebay.com/giftcardscams
• Steam: help.steampowered.com
• Target: 800-544-2943
• Walmart: 888-537-5503

An IRS scam occurs when someone contacts you, pretending to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). They falsely claim that you owe taxes and must pay immediately to avoid serious penalties. It’s important to be aware of common tactics used by scammers so you can protect yourself and your loved ones.

Scammers often use aggressive tactics such as yelling at or insulting you, threatening deportation, arrest, or jail. They might send a bill through the U.S. Postal Service to inform you that you owe taxes, but they will also attempt to collect payment via email, text messages, or social media. Additionally, they may offer a chance to appeal the taxes owed or request payment in the form of gift cards, prepaid debit cards, or wire transfers. Some may even direct you to make payments directly to the United States Treasury.

It’s essential to understand that the IRS will never do the following:

• Call to demand immediate payment by gift card, prepaid debit card, or wire transfer.
• Threaten to involve local police or law enforcement to have you arrested or deported for nonpayment.
• Demand payment without giving you the chance to question or appeal the amount you owe.
• Contact you via email, text, or social media to request personal or financial information like PINs, passwords, or bank account details.

If you believe you owe taxes or are unsure, call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040. If you suspect an IRS scam, report it to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484, and also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at FTC.gov/complaint.

If you receive an email claiming to be from the IRS, do not open any attachments or click on any links in the message. Instead, forward the email to phishing@irs.gov.