Bucks County officials are warning residents to stay vigilant against a growing number of telephone, text, and online scams as part of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
County officials, including Chief Information Officer John Regula, Deputy District Attorney for Civil Enforcement Elizabeth Oquendo, and Consumer Protection Director Cory Caraballo, outlined several tactics fraudsters use to target citizens this week.
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Cybersecurity breaches and personal data being compromised often lead to financial fraud, Oquendo warned.
She asked residents to set up multi-factor authentication on all digital accounts where it is offered to require multiple verification steps during login.
“Always be wary of solicitations that come to you,” Oquendo said, adding that legitimate businesses will never ask customers to disclose passwords.
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Caller ID spoofing has become a frequent tool for scammers.
“These folks have gotten very sophisticated and can change what we see on our caller ID,” Oquendo said.
Among recent reports are deceptive text messages claiming recipients owe money to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.
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Oquendo told residents to immediately hang up on robocalls and hold on before taking action, adding that financial institutions do not make unsolicited phone calls to customers.
Instead of rushing, residents should write down notes, pause, and contact the institution directly through a verified phone number to confirm the claim, Oquendo said.
Regula told the public that the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office does not call residents demanding phone payments for outstanding warrants or jury duty matters. He added that federal agencies such as the IRS, along with tech support firms and anti-virus providers, do not initiate unsolicited phone calls to consumers.
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Emerging threats involving artificial intelligence can allow scammers to mimic the voices of family members claiming to be in legal or personal danger to demand funds, Regula said.
Additional schemes include charity scams using sound-alike organization names, fake debt collection calls, and fake lottery winning notifications that demand upfront fee payments.
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“You didn’t win the lottery,” Regula said. “You probably didn’t even buy the ticket.”
He stated that legitimate lottery winners are never required to pay fees to collect winnings.
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Caraballo, a former police detective, asked consumers to exercise caution regarding unsolicited offers for contractor work, home warranties, or paving services. He cited a recurring scam where paving crews claim to have excess materials available to repave driveways at a discount.
Other prevalent schemes targeting local victims include time-share buybacks, fraudulent loan and credit applications, and online dating or romance scams involving cryptocurrency. Scammers build trust over time before soliciting money or investments.
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“You might send $500 at a time… but the person you think you trusted goes cold on you. Then you realize you’ve been scammed,” Caraballo said.
Caraballo also cited fraudulent work-from-home employment schemes. They can target recent graduates with promises of easy income.
In the scheme, scammers often deposit an overpayment into the victim’s account and request the excess funds be sent back before the original check clears and fails, according to Caraballo.
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To protect property owners, Caraballo and the Bucks County Recorder of Deeds’ Office recommended signing up for the county’s free property fraud alert service at landex.com/recordalert/bucks.
Residents needing assistance with enrollment can contact the Recorder of Deeds’ Office at 215-348-6209.
Officials said it is important for family members to regularly check in on elderly relatives who may fall victim.
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Caraballo told the story of an investigation where an older woman was targeted by a scammer impersonating a celebrity near Christmas. Police, social workers, and her son intervened over the course of three hours to prevent her from sending money.
Residents should never act out of fear or urgency, to verify callers or emails independently, and to consider placing a credit freeze with the three major credit reporting agencies, Regula said.
The Bucks County Consumer Protection Department has launched a cybersecurity website.
