Stay up-to-date on the newest scams

Scammers keep coming up with new ways to bilk people out of their hard-earned money.

The Fairfax County government has posted a new online resource on scams with advice on how to protect yourself.  

In one example currently making the rounds, people are getting text messages claiming they owe money for unpaid tolls or toll violations.

These messages are most likely phishing scams designed to get you to open a link that asks you to pay by entering your bank or credit card information.

The Federal Trade Commission urges people who get one of these messages to reach out to the state tolling agency to check if it’s legit. Use your phone’s “report junk” option or forward the message to 7726 (SPAM), and then delete the text.

Another common scam is “bank jugging.” In these cases, scammers observe victims withdrawing money from a bank and follow them. When the victims park and leave the money in their cars, the scammers break their car windows and steal the money.

There has also been a rash of fake shredding events aimed at getting hold of people’s financial information. Reputable companies will take the documents in locked boxes and then provide a certificate of destruction or allow you to watch your documents being shredded. 

A new twist on phishing is “quishing.” Scammers hide harmful links in QR codes that take you to a website that asks for personal information or payments. Don’t scan a QR code in an email or text message you weren’t expecting, especially if it urges you to act quickly.

Employment scammers try to get job seekers to send money, divulge personal information, or provide free labor.

They post advertisements for fake jobs on common career sites including Indeed, Monster, CareerBuilder, and social media platforms promising career advancement, flexible schedules, and high salaries.

You can tell it’s a scam if they make threats or pressure you to make an immediate decision, ask you to open a bank account and initiate bank wire transfers, send cash via FedEx or USPS, deposit funds into Bitcoin companies, or ask for access to bank accounts, CashApp, or Paypal.

There’s been a surge in jury duty scams in recent months. Residents have received phone calls, voicemails, and emails claiming they have missed jury duty. When residents respond, they are told they will be arrested if they don’t pay to reschedule. The Fairfax County Circuit Court never asks for money when rescheduling jury duty.

The Fairfax County Police Department warns people to be wary of tax scams, which become popular this time of year. Here are some examples:

• Scammers offer too-good-to-be-true deals to help you qualify for a large refund in exchange for paying a fee or providing personal information.

• Scammers impersonate government agencies to intimidate people into paying money immediately to avoid arrest, deportation, or lawsuits. They demand payment through untraceable methods such as gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.

• Scammers frequently use fake websites – often with misspelled words or unusual web addresses – to get you to give away your financial information.

If you’ve been a victim of a tax scam, forward phishing attempts to the IRS at [email protected], notify your bank, and file a report with the FCPD’s Financial Crimes Unit.

AARP Virginia invites community members to Scam Jam 2025 on April 30 to learn more about fraud prevention and protecting older adults from financial exploitation. The all-day event will be at the Ernst Community Center at Northern Virginia Community College’s Annandale campus.