Cheyenne Police Issue New Phone Scam Warning

Cheyenne Police are warning people about a new phone scam being reported locally.

That’s according to a post on the CPD Facebook page. According to the post, someone is calling people up and pretending to represent a phone/cable company. The caller promises lower bills, but only if the person receiving the call agrees to make an immediate payment over the phone. The CPD post reminds people to never give out any kind of information or payment over the phone.

According to the Federal Trade Commission’s “How To Avoid A Scam” website, one of the biggest red flags that something might be a scam is that someone pressures you to act immediately. According to the FTC, scammers typically want to pressure you to act before you have time to think or to check out their story.

The pressure could be a promise for big savings, but only if you act immediately. Legitimate businesses usually don’t mind giving a prospective customer time to consider an offer and to do a little checking.

Scammers, on the other hand, want you to act impulsively without considering who you may be dealing with or whether they are affiliated with a reputable company.

The FTC says other things you can do to protect yourself including blocking unwanted calls and text messages. Never, under any circumstances, give out personal information such as bank account or credit card information to someone who calls you unexpectedly and uses high pressure “buy now” sales tactics.

If you do get an email or text message that appears to be from a company you actually do business with, don’t click on any links. Instead, contact them at a known website or phone number. Scammers will often create authentic-looking websites or phone answering systems that seem legit, but that is actually part of the con.