Protect Yourself Against Fraud & Identity Theft

Most scams will target any vulnerabilities you have playing on emotions and rushing you to take an action, usually, making a payment. Learn more about the common scams in Adams County and Colorado to protect yourself, loved ones, and friends.

Auto-Renewal Scams – “Your car warranty is expiring.”

Business and Job Opportunities – “Get rich quick”, work-from-home, mystery shopping, payment processing, envelope stuffing, etc.

Cryptocurrency – Invest in bitcoin for large returns, paying for warrants with bitcoin

Contractor – Falsely claim to be licensed, certified or insured, estimates not in writing, poor workmanship and refusing to fix, large upfront deposits, fake contracts, taking money without performing any work, only accepting cash, ask you to get required building permits, suggest you borrow money from a lender they know.

Family Emergency Scams – Pretending to be a doctor or law enforcement to mimic voices and saying family member needs help

Government Imposter – Pretending to with IRS, Social Security, Medicare, Jury Duty the state, local government, or law enforcement asking for money

Health Insurance Scam – Around open enrollment, scammers will call, place ads, and send mail for discounts on health plans for Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance and rush you into a decision. Call U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to verify any potential scams.

 Immigration Scams – Notarios (notary publics) in the USA are NOT attorneys and cannot provide legal advice. You should NEVER pay for immigration forms and don’t sign any blank forms. Only use lawyers from American Immigration Lawyers Association and American Immigration Council.

Moving Scams – Typically new to the area, may not have a website or Google or Yelp reviews. May use cold calling, door-to-door solicitation, or use Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace to get business.

Rental Scams – Ads are on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for rental homes. Home may actually be for sale but under a false realtor or property manager name.

Romance Scams – Typically contact with someone from another state or foreign country who spends a lot of time making you think they are interested in you. They ask you for money, pay for travel expenses, or medical bills. They always make up reasons they can’t meet up and ask for PIN codes, bank account numbers, gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, and payment through Venmo and Zelle. Do a reverse image search of the person’s profile picture to see if it’s associated with other names but beware new images can be made using Artificial Intelligence.

 Subscription Scams – Unexpectedly receiving a magazine in the mail and a letter asking to pay your monthly agreed-upon fee making it sound like you ordered it.

Timeshare Scams – Luring people into sales pitch with promises of free vacations and other “gifts.” The value is oversold and accessibility is minimized. Sometimes fake properties are used. They may also promise to resell your timeshare with exaggerated speed and price.