TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The Leon County Sheriff’s Office and Tallahassee Police Department are seeing a new trend in financial crimes utilizing social media to target victims.
They said that the suspects attempt to “befriend” a potential victim then ask for their banking information, ATM card and PIN numbers, in exchange for a portion of the monetary gain. The suspects then deposit the forged payments into the victims account.
After, the suspects withdraw as much money as possible, leaving the victim to deal with the lost funds when the bank determines the original payment was forged.
In many of these incidents, the targets are young adults.
The agencies said that they are urging all citizens, in particular young adults and parents of young adults, to protect their banking and financial information.
LCSO and TPD offer the following tips:
o DO NOT give out your personal information (SSN, bank account number, PIN)
o DO NOT give access to your ATM card
o Check your credit and bank account transactions often
o Be cautious when communicating with unknown people on social media
If you have been a victim or have any information about the above scam please contact the Financial Crime Units at either Leon County Sheriff’s Office or Tallahassee Police Department at (850) 891-4230.
