“Boss Scam” and more evolve to exploit area says Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office

TAZEWELL, Va. (WVVA) -Scams continue to plague our area, continuously evolving to exploit the unprepared. The newest of these scams is the “Boss Scam,” where scammers claim to be your boss or supervisor, asking for gift cards. These aren’t the only scams going around, however. The Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office says scams can use many fake identities: government officials, Medicare, even Netflix! They say, even though the scams may change, the end goal is the same: to get your money or personal information.

“Well, that’s what they do, they try to work harder to outsmart our citizens, and unfortunately, sometimes that happens, and it makes it very difficult when we investigate these cases to get your money back if you do send money overseas. So, please, we’re encouraging you, verify the information first,” says Capt. Jonathan Hankins, the Captain of Operations at the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office.

Hankins adds, odd requests are sometimes telltale signs of scamming. This can be asking for identifying information, Social Security numbers, or money.

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