As the holiday season hits its peak, so apparently does the creativity of scammers, and the Johnson City Police Department (JCPD) wants the community on high alert. The JCPD is reporting a noticeable increase in scam attempts — a veritable smorgasbord that includes shady text messages, dubious emails, and suspect phone calls.
In a bid to pre-empt potential victims, Chief Eric Dougherty has been proactive in issuing a warning to Johnson City residents: "The holiday season is a busy time, and it’s easy to become distracted," moreover if you receive a text, email, or call that smells fishy, especially ones that are requesting personal or financial information, promising an offer that seems too good to be true, claiming suspicious activity on your account, or demanding immediate action, his advice is simple — do not respond. Dougherty reiterates that the JCPD would never text someone about a relative needing bail money, and legitimate entities aren't going to ask for your wallet to be emptied into a Bitcoin bonfire, as per the city's announcement.
It's a cruel trick, the way scammers play on the emotions and goodwill inherent in the season. Chief Dougherty has pointed out one particularly insidious tactic involving phone calls that masquerade as financial institutions alerting you to fraudulent activity on an account in hopes of pilfering personal or banking information. His direction is unequivocal: if these calls come in, hang up and take the time to independently verify your accounts using contact details you know to be true.
And while cryptocurrency might be the toast of the town for some, in these scenarios it's a definite no-no, "Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible," added Chief Dougherty, he advises that anyone asking for crypto payments under duress is definitely not on the level because once the money's gone it's just gone, and you typically won't find bona fide government agencies going all in on the crypto craze as their payment modus operandi, according to the city's website.
For any lingering questions or to report being the victim of a scam, the Johnson City community is being directed to contact the JCPD's Criminal Investigations Division at 423-434-6166.
