Online scams are on the rise and as they are, more Schuylkill County residents are falling victim to them.
Sometimes even the most vigilant of us can slip up once in a while and get duped by these nefarious actors online.
Here’s just the latest locals to fall victim to an online scam of some kind …
Unemployment Benefits Account Hacked
State Police say they were contacted by a 31-year-old Pine Grove area man back on Jan. 6. He told police that someone had gained access to his unemployment benefits account.
Money Lost in Snapchat Scam
Back in early December, police say they were notified of a 15-year-old Pottsville boy who apparently lost $200 online in a Snapchat scam.
Snapchat, of course, is a site only people up to a certain age use.
Police do not reveal how the alleged victim of this Snapchat scam was deceived and eventually lost the $200. They do say their investigation into the allegation is ongoing.
Spoof Calls from the Schuylkill County Sheriff’s Office
Police earlier this week warned residents of a scam that’s ongoing in the area.
Several people, including a 43-year-old Wayne Township woman most recently, received calls from a person purporting to be with the Schuylkill County Sheriff’s Office.
The bogus sheriff tells victims of this scam that there’s an active arrest warrant for them and they must call back to a number given (if they don’t answer right away).
Those victims are likely answering calls or returning them because they appear to be coming from a local 570 phone number. But those numbers are bot-generated and not really local.
For more on this story, check out our full report.
Brockton Woman’s Walmart Account Hacked
Police say back on Dec. 17, a 40-year-old Brockton woman reported that her Walmart account had been hacked.
And before she learned that her account had been hacked, the debit card she had on file with her Walmart account had been used in a transaction.
Police say the potentially fraudulent debit card transaction totaled $317.74.
New Ringgold Area Man Lost $32K+ in “Internet Scam”
Just before Christmas 2022, a New Ringgold area man notified police that he believed he was the victim of an “internet scam” and is out thousands of dollars.
State Police say the computer scam robbed the 70-year-old man of $32,900. However, police have not released details on the purported scam.
Fake Craft Show Event Registration Costs Cumbola Woman
Back on Dec. 13, a Cumbola woman told police that she tried to submit a payment with her vendor application for an upcoming craft show event.
The woman apparently used CashApp to pay for submitting the application.
However, after sending the $40 over CashApp, the Cumbola apparently never received her registration for the craft show.
Police are still investigating this allegation.
Girardville Man Loses Thousands Through Robinhood App
Police say they were contacted by a 49-year-old Girardville man recently claiming he lost more than $5,000 through an online and phone scam.
The police investigation into the claim revealed that the Girardville man believed he was in contact – both online and by phone – with a representative of his financial institution.
Believing that, the Guntown man gave the purported scammer access to his accounts through an app. And when then happened, the suspected scammer transferred all the Girardville man’s money to an unknown CashApp account.
Police say the Girardville man lost $5,387 from his Robinhood investing account.
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