09/13/2024
ANOTHER SCAM ALERT
The Elk River Police Department has been made aware of a trending scam called “brushing.” Brushing is when an individual receives an unexpected package delivery that contains the recipient’s address but does not include the sender’s information or appears to be from a known retailer/recent order. When opened, the package will include an item and a QR code to scan to “find out who sent the gift.” Once the QR code is scanned by a phone, the scammer will have access to all the data on that device. This includes all personal and financial information, which leads to banking accounts being drained and private information being obtained. If you receive any packages that appear to match this description, discard any QR code documents; never scan anything with your phone that you do not know and trust.
This information is being shared to promote awareness of this most recent scam and to serve as a reminder for the many, many scams out there.
According to the FTC, the best ways to avoid a scam are:
1. Block unwanted calls and text messages
2. Don’t give your personal information or financial information in response tot a request that you didn’t expect.
3. Resist the pressure to act immediately.
4. Know how scammers tell you to pay [gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfer service, payment app, etc.]
5. Before you do anything, stop and talk to someone you trust.
For more information about how to avoid a scam, go to: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scam
