Michigan State Police warns residents of new twist on scams

The Negaunee Post of the Michigan State Police is reminding residents that scams can take many forms, but if the offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Most scams involve someone calling to obtain a victim’s personal information under false pretenses. The scammer usually portrays a sense of urgency, pretending to be an official of a legitimate organization to fool a victim into providing personal information.

In a new twist, callers claim to be a federal agent who will accept a money pack card code in exchange for a government-issued $7,000 check.

To avoid scams like these:

• Do not give personal information to unknown callers
• Do not respond to unsolicited e-mails from unknown senders
• Confirm the identity of a contact by independently speaking with the identified source
• Use a reliable source, such as the phone book, to confirm the contact’s phone number or email
• Report any suspicious contacts to the police