Michigan State Police encourage those who believe they may have been victims of potential scams to contact their local law enforcement. The constant evolving forms of scams sometimes make them difficult to detect and Community Service Trooper Alan Narhi said that residents should not feel embarrassed if they feel they have been taken advantage of. (Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette)

The Michigan State Police (MSP) are urging residents to stay vigilant when receiving online or phone messages that can lead to scams. This comes as a regular reminder due to the fact that scams are consistent throughout the year.

Community Service Trooper Alan Narhi of the MSP Calumet Post has been part of a radio public service announcement which reminded the public of the signs of a scam, which include unsolicited contacts pretending to be a person or organization known to the recipient, claim there is a problem or prize, pressure the recipient to act immediately, and tell the recipient to pay in a specific way.

“Never give out personal or financial information in response to an unsolicited request,” he said. “Trust your gut, talk to a friend or family member, or reach out to local law enforcement if you feel something isn’t right.”

MSP want citizens to know and understand the types of scams that go around in a variety of forms and how to avoid becoming victims. Social media, text messages and phone calls are the most common, though in person scams have also occurred in the Copper Country. 

One of the most efficient scams are called romance scams. These scams entail the scammer seeking out profiles on social media and establishing a faux relationship with the victim, whether it is a friendship or romantic affection. These scammers will manipulate emotions of the victim for a week or even several months and then request a meet up. 

Narhi said that this is when the theft occurs. He provided a scenario of a scammer calling the victim and crafting a story of a downed transmission of their vehicle but still desiring to see the victim. The victim then capitulates and sends money to the scammer, to which the scammer will then craft more reasons as to why they need more resources.

“They’ll continue to ask for more and more money, and you’ll never end up actually meeting this person,” Narhi explained.

Other popular scams in the form of phone calls and text messages present themselves in faux tech support. Scammers will reach out and convey a remedy to to a problem such as a computer or phone virus that they convince the recipients exist. They will often pose as companies and utilize professional language. Narhi said that it is useful to remember that authentic programs which fix viruses often cost money and that real companies would not offer those services for free.

A recent and widespread scam has been a text message warning recipients of unpaid toll services. Narhi said that it is important to not react emotionally and instead think of the situation. He said that if a recipient thinks back to their recent travels and realizes that they had not gone through any toll booths that the message is likely a scam.

Another sign of a likely scam is the requirement of unusual payment requirements such as demands for cryptocurrency or gift card information. Scammers utilize these payment methods due to being harder to track a money trail. Narhi said that anyone who is dabbling in cryptocurrency should do extensive research to ensure that their transactions with it are genuine and not investing in scams to drain bank accounts.

Narhi said that if someone believes they have fallen victim to a scammer to not feel ashamed to reach out to the police.

“It doesn’t take much to to take a second to think about it,” Narhi said. “Reach out to a friend or a family member or law enforcement and just say, ‘Hey, I got this phone call, or I got this email or I got this thing in the mail. It just doesn’t seem right.’ They’re gonna be more than willing to help and answer that question.”