Phone Scam
Fake "You Missed Court" Arrest Warrant Calls
Callers claim to be a deputy or court official, say you missed a court date, and threaten immediate arrest unless you pay right away. Some send a fake court document naming a real judge to look official.
- Demands payment by gift card, cash app, or a kiosk machine
- Threatens immediate arrest if you hang up or call back later
- Tells you not to speak to anyone else about it
What to do: Hang up. No court or sheriff's office will ever demand payment by phone this way. Call your local sheriff's office directly using a number you look up yourself.
Source: Knox County Sheriff's Office
Phone Scam
Fake Jury Duty Calls
Callers claim you missed jury duty and threaten an arrest warrant unless you pay a fine immediately over the phone.
- Urgent, threatening tone about an arrest warrant
- Insists on immediate payment, no mail or written notice
What to do: Courts notify jurors by mail, not surprise phone calls demanding money. Hang up and verify directly with the county clerk of courts.
Source: Knox County Sheriff's Office
Phone Scam
Fake "GPS Monitor Fee" Calls Targeting Crime Victims
A particularly cruel scam: victims of crimes get a call falsely claiming their offender is being released, followed by a second call demanding money (often via Cash App) to cover a "GPS monitoring device."
- Targets people already dealing with a difficult situation
- Asks for payment through a money transfer app
What to do: Victim services and law enforcement never ask for money this way. Hang up and call your local sheriff's office or victim advocate directly.
Source: Knox County Sheriff's Office, Feb 2026
Text Scam
Fake Parking Ticket / Toll Fine Text with QR Code
A text claims you owe an unpaid parking ticket or toll, includes what looks like an official document, and asks you to scan a QR code to pay. The QR code leads to a scam site, often traced overseas.
- Unexpected text about a fine you don't recognize
- Asks you to scan a QR code or click a link to pay
What to do: Don't scan the code or click the link. Contact the court or toll authority directly using a number or website you find yourself.
Source: Ohio Attorney General, March 2026
Text Scam
Fake Ohio DMV / Traffic Ticket Texts
Text messages impersonate the Ohio BMV, claiming an unpaid traffic ticket and pushing a link to "resolve" it.
- Claims to be from the DMV/BMV via text message
- Pressures you to click a link right away
What to do: Don't click. Verify any ticket directly with the Ohio BMV or your local police department, and report the text to the BBB Scam Tracker.
Source: Ohio BMV / Holmes County News, March 2026
Online Scam
Government Impostor & Crypto Investment Scams
Scammers pose as law enforcement or government officials demanding made-up fines, or promote fake cryptocurrency and investment opportunities through social media.
- An "official" demanding payment or personal info out of the blue
- Investment opportunities promising guaranteed high returns
What to do: Real government agencies don't collect fines this way. Be skeptical of any investment pitch you find on social media.
Source: Ohio Attorney General Consumer Advocate
Phone Scam
Fake Bank & "Back Taxes" Calls
Callers pose as your bank, a loan processor, or the IRS, pressuring you with repeated urgent calls to share your Social Security number, bank details, or other sensitive information over "back taxes" or account problems.
- Repeated, high-pressure calls creating urgency
- Asks for your SSN, bank login, or card number by phone
What to do: Hang up and call your actual bank or the IRS directly using the number on your card or a past statement, never a number the caller gives you.
Source: Better Business Bureau
Email Scam
Fake Subscription Renewal Emails
Emails designed to look like a renewal notice from a service you use (streaming, antivirus, etc.), pushing you to "update payment info" through a link that actually steals your card details.
- Urgent renewal or "payment failed" language
- A link asking you to re-enter your card number
What to do: Don't click the link. Log into the real service directly through your browser or app to check your billing status.
Source: Better Business Bureau
Fraud
Fake Invoices & Business Email Compromise
Scammers send a fake invoice, or hack/spoof a real vendor's email, asking you to pay an "updated" invoice to a new bank account. It looks legitimate because it often references a real vendor or ongoing project.
- A vendor suddenly asks you to send payment to a "new" account
- An invoice for something you don't remember ordering
- Slightly altered email address or wording that's almost right
What to do: Before paying any changed invoice or unfamiliar bill, call the vendor directly using a number you already have on file, not one from the email. Not sure if an invoice is real? Use the form below.
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Online Scam
Fake Sweepstakes & Prize Notifications
You're told you've won a prize or sweepstakes you never entered, often including a "check" to deposit before sending money back to cover fees or taxes. The check later bounces, leaving you responsible for the full amount.
- You "won" something you never entered
- Asked to pay a fee, or deposit a check and wire part back
What to do: Legitimate prizes never require you to pay anything upfront. If in doubt, don't deposit the check.
Source: Better Business Bureau
Phone Scam
Fake Bank Card "Pickup" Scam
A multi-step scam hitting Ohio: you get a text from what looks like your bank's real number asking if you made a purchase. A second call follows, also spoofing the bank's number, saying your card is "compromised" and offering to send someone to your home to pick up the old card and drop off a replacement. The person who shows up is dressed like a bank employee.
- A bank "representative" offers to come to your home to collect your card
- Caller ID matches your real bank, but the request is unusual
- Pressure to hand over a physical card to someone at your door
What to do: Real banks don't send employees to your home to pick up cards. Hang up and call your bank directly using the number on the back of your card, never one from the call or text.
Source: Ohio officials / Kent Police, August 2026
Online Scam
Fake "FBI" Follow-Up After You Report a Scam
If you've already been scammed and told the scammer you'd report them to the FBI, watch for a second wave: someone impersonating an FBI agent contacts you on Facebook Messenger, claiming to help with your case, then moves the conversation to Telegram and sends a link to "update" your report. It's a second scam targeting people who already lost money once.
- Contacted about a case through social media, not an official channel
- Asked to move the conversation to Telegram or another messaging app
- A link to "verify" or "update" a report you filed
What to do: The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center never reaches out this way and doesn't offer fund recovery over social media. File or check on a report only at ic3.gov directly, typed in yourself.
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), July 2026
Online Scam
Romance Scams & the New Ohio AG Hotline
Ohioans lost more than $41 million to romance scams last year, according to FTC data. The Ohio Attorney General's Office has now launched a dedicated hotline to help people spot a romance scammer early, before money changes hands, the first state-sponsored hotline of its kind. If a dating app or social media match starts asking questions that don't add up, or eventually asks for money, gift cards, or crypto, that's the moment to check in rather than after you've sent something.
- A new online or dating-app contact who moves the relationship fast and avoids meeting in person
- Any request for money, gift cards, or cryptocurrency, no matter the reason given
- Excuses for why a video call or in-person meeting never happens
What to do: Call the Ohio AG's romance scam hotline at 1-855-961-SCAM before sending money to anyone you've only met online. They'll check the profile against known fraud patterns.
Source: WOSU Public Media / Ohio Attorney General's Office, September 2026
Online Scam
Fake Car Dealership Websites (AI-Cloned)
The FTC is warning about scammers using AI to clone real car dealership websites down to the logo, vehicle listings, photos, and even customer testimonials. Buyers pay upfront online, often for a rare or hard-to-find vehicle, then show up to the real dealership to find no record of their order, their payment, or the car. Some of these sites also steal the personal information entered during checkout.
- A "dealership" website found through an ad or search result rather than a link you already knew
- Pressure to pay upfront by wire transfer only, with no other payment option offered
- Deals or hard-to-find vehicles that look too good to pass up
What to do: Before paying anything, search the dealer's name with words like "scam," "review," or "complaint," and call the dealership directly using a number you look up yourself, not one from the site. Walk away from any wire-transfer-only demand. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Source: Federal Trade Commission, September 2026
Online Scam
Fake Farm Equipment Sellers
The FTC is warning about scammers posing as farm equipment dealers, a scam that hits especially close to home for our area. You spot a tractor or other equipment at a good price on social media or through a search, sometimes appearing to be from a business you recognize, and the seller asks for thousands of dollars up front, usually by wire transfer, with a delivery date set. The delivery never comes, and the "business" turns out to have never been real.
- Good deal on equipment found through a social media ad or search result, not a dealer you already do business with
- Seller wants a wire transfer for a deposit or the full amount before delivery
- No option to pay in person or use a payment method with fraud protection
What to do: Buy from dealers you already know, or verify a new one by calling a phone number you look up yourself, not one from the ad. Never wire money for equipment you haven't seen in person or through a verified, established dealer.
Source: Federal Trade Commission, September 2026
Online Scam
Fake QR Codes Stuck Over Real Ones on Parking Meters
The FTC is warning that scammers are pasting their own QR code sticker directly over the legitimate one on parking meters. Scan it to pay for parking and you land on a fake site built to steal your card information or your money outright, in at least one reported case, $2,000 was withdrawn after a single scan.
- The QR code sticker looks slightly pasted-on, crooked, or layered over another code
- The meter or lot doesn't normally use QR codes to pay at all
- The link your phone previews before you tap it has misspellings or swapped letters
What to do: Skip the sticker and pay through the parking app or meter keypad directly. If you do scan one, check the previewed link carefully before tapping it, and back out if anything looks off.
Source: Federal Trade Commission, September 2026
Phone Scam
Fake Life Insurance "Policy" Calls Targeting Older Adults
The BBB is warning about callers claiming to represent a life insurance company, telling older adults they already have a policy or recently signed up for one. The caller may already know your name or basic details, which makes the call feel convincing, then asks you to confirm personal information, provide banking details, or set up payment for a policy you don't actually remember buying.
- An unexpected call about a life insurance policy you don't recall purchasing
- Caller already knows your name or some basic personal details
- Asked to confirm banking information or set up a payment over the phone
What to do: Hang up and call the insurance company directly using a number from your own paperwork or their official website, never one the caller provides.
Source: Better Business Bureau, September 2026
Online Scam
Hacked "Friend" Asking for a Quick Favor
The BBB is warning Ohio consumers about scammers taking over a friend or family member's real email or social media account, or building a convincing fake one, and messaging their contacts asking for a small favor: sending money for someone in need, or making a purchase on their behalf because their card "isn't working." One Ohio scam victim reported sending $100 after a hacked friend's email asked for help paying for a relative's cancer treatment. Because it comes from a familiar name, it's easy to let your guard down.
- A message from someone you know, asking for money or a purchase as an urgent favor
- A promise to "pay you back soon" attached to an unusual request
- Message arrives by email, text, or social media rather than a phone call
What to do: Before sending anything, contact that person a different way, call their known phone number directly, rather than replying to the same message or account that asked.
Source: Better Business Bureau / Holmes County News, August 2026
