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If you’re like us, you probably get as many calls about your vehicle’s expired warranty as you do from friends and family members. It’s an annoying part of living in 2021, where it seems like the amount of numbers — many of them local — are endless. If you block a number, the spam call just comes from a different one the next time.

Most of us either ignore these calls or hang up. (Or hope to actually connect to a real person so we can mess with them, or yell at them.)  But all it takes is catching the right person at the right time, and a scammer can have enough information to really take you for a ride. Local law enforcement often posts about these types of scams as they come up, and the Troup County Sheriff’s Office recently spoke at the Active Life Center about the newest scams going around.

They include a new one focused around the COVID-19 vaccine, where scammers are telling people that they can be moved up the priority list if they pay money. Thankfully, that isn’t how life works. You don’t get moved up the list by paying money.

If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. For instance, if you get a random call that you won a vacation in a contest you don’t remember entering, then hang up. Or if someone is asking for your personal information and won’t give you details about their company, it’s probably a scam. 

Both of those examples should raise a ton of red flags.  Don’t fall for these types of scams. And if you have any questions, ask for a call back number and do some research. 

Scammers are seemingly more prevalent than ever and have more ways to reach us than ever before. 

Be cautious about who you’re talking to when you get a random phone call.