CLAY COUNTY -– Most of us have received that text message, which made us do a double-take. It warned us of an unpaid toll charge and prompted us to log into our accounts and re-enter our credit card information.

For every hundred people who get the message, one or two probably fall for the hoax. Once the scammer has your credit card information, they quickly use it to max out the credit line and disappear into the dark web.

Others, especially here in Clay County, have received telephone calls from someone claiming to be with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. They said they’re about to arrest a family member with an outstanding warrant, missed a court date or jury duty summons, but they suggest it can be avoided if they pay a fine or post a bond.

“They do things, all spiels. They're communicating through the phone. A lot of times, they will get you in a rush when you can't think about what's going on, and you don't have time to follow up with either the courthouse or the sheriff's office to verify what they're saying.

“Obviously, government entities will never contact you by phone and say, ‘Hey, we can get this taken care of if you pay us ‘X’ amount of dollars,’” said sheriff’s office Det. Ryan Lunsford.

What is the best way to handle a call like that?

“A lot of times when these individuals call you, if you, for some reason, believe they're not legitimate, the best thing to do is to hang up on them,” Lunsford said

Lunsford said the public is besieged by test messages and emails with phony scams. These scams pretend to be legitimate banks, internet companies, and communication companies. They report problems with account numbers and passwords, ask for sensitive information, or suggest there was an issue with a recent purchase.

Now, they use pop-ups while you’re surfing the internet, claiming to be an internet security provider. They either extort you, seizing control of your internet files, including your banking information, for ransom, or they claim your computer has been corrupted with a virus, and you need to give them access to remove it. Of course, when you do, that gives them access to your bank account and other personal information.

Lunsford has simple responses to attempts to solicit personal or financial information: Always hang up or don’t respond to an email, call the company or financial institution directly to deal with the issue, and never communicate with anyone if they initiated the contact.

Thirty years ago, scams were easy to spot. They usually involved someone pretending to be royalty from an African nation and promising to split a multi-million fortune if you’d post a deposit.

The types of fraud now are more intricate because of their simplicity – and success.

“With the digital age, I mean scams, they're always going to be there,” Lunsford said. “I don't know if there'd ever be a time when this won't be occurring. But, as I said, we are serious about getting the information out there so that someone can be better prepared.

“Scammers, they always try to find different ways to scam you. There's always something different. It's always something new, different routes and avenues. So, it's just important to stay vigilant. If you feel that something is not right, call someone. If you realize you gave this person a ton of money, call us immediately.”

Particularly senior citizens.

“Especially Clay County, we have a lot of senior citizens,” Lunsford said. “They're targeted a lot. They're on fixed incomes, so we want to work with them when they lose money. That's why we go to banks and do things like that to help them get as much back as possible. They are affected a lot because they often don't have family members they can rely on to say, ‘Hey, can you help me with this?’ That way, as a shareholder, we want to get this information out to that demographic to have them be better prepared.”

Lunsford said if you receive a text or unsolicited call from a fraudster, reach out to the non-emergency number at the sheriff’s office at (904) 264-6512.

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 Tips you’re being scammed:

• Law enforcement, court officials and financial institutions will never email or call you for information, even if they spoof the sheriff’s office’s non-emergency telephone number.
• If you get one of those calls, hang up, block the number and report the call to the sheriff’s office’s non-emergency number (904) 264-6512 and report the name of the deputy that was used.
• Never provide a stranger with personal or financial information over the phone.
• Never deal with a stranger over the phone if they call or email you. Call the company’s main number and deal with a customer service representative.
• Hang up immediately if they want to be paid with crypto-currency or gift cards.
• Never believe claims that your computer is infected with a virus.
• The adage “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” has never been truer.
• Never pay upfront if you buy something online from a third party. Schedule a meeting with the seller to check the item in a public place, like the sheriff’s office parking lot.
• Never open an email or text message from an address or number you don’t know.