Tyler Police warn of multiple scams

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department would like to remind citizens to remain vigilant with regards to both online scams and phone scams. We have taken numerous reports of many types of frauds originating both online and through wireless communication devices.

Be aware that banking institutions will not ask you to withdraw money from your accounts to take to another location to be deposited into a different bank or an offsite ATM. If you are ever directed to take money and place it into a Crypto or Bitcoin ATM, it is a fraud. If you are contacted by any party requesting you to purchase gift cards or prepaid debit cards, please be aware that this is also a scam. Do not send any type of money transfer via a phone app to anyone you do not personally know and have not spoken to directly. We also recommend you do not put down deposits for items located on Facebook marketplace using phone applications such as Venmo or Cash App.

Law enforcement agencies would not contact you requesting payment over the phone for anything or ask you to withdraw money from any of your accounts. Warnings on your computer or wireless device giving you a phone number to call for Microsoft or a security entity due to a breach, could be scammers who have placed spyware on your device to help perpetrate the fraud.

If you are ever contacted by a phone call or text attempting to inform you that your banking information has been compromised, it is our recommendation that you cease communication with the individual on the phone and contact your financial institution in person. At the very least contact your bank by calling them directly. Scammers can spoof phone numbers from legitimate entities, so be mindful of sharing any personal information over the phone such as your bank account numbers, identification numbers, and especially your social security number. Update your passwords frequently and make sure you keep them stored in a safe place.