ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — As the holiday season quickly approaches, many are gearing up for celebrations, but unfortunately, this time of year also attracts scammers looking to take advantage of unsuspecting victims.
With people often busy and distracted, fraudsters use a variety of tactics to deceive individuals into giving up personal information or money.
Chandra Gibbs is the chief deputy of the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, and she warns that scammers are becoming more sophisticated, often using localized phone numbers and familiar names to make their schemes seem more credible.
“They’re not using international numbers; they’re using localized numbers that our community is familiar with, and then they’re also using names of members of the agency that are servants to our community that have served and have been here for quite some time,” Gibbs said.
The festive season is a prime time for scammers to pose as charities, delivery services, or government agencies, preying on people’s generosity and busy schedules.
These fraudsters may use fake offers, urgent demands for payment, or promises of prizes to lure victims into providing personal information or financial details. According to the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs, some of the most common scams in the state include:
- Purchase scams
- Crime/warrant scams
- Free prize, lottery, and sweepstakes scams
- Tech support scams
- Debt collection scams
- Service/repair scams
- Job/employment scams
- Subscription scams
- Loan scams
- Warranty scams
A new scam circulating in Orangeburg County involves fraudsters cloning the phone number of the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office. These scammers pretend to be deputies, telling victims they need to pay up to avoid legal consequences. Sheriff Leroy Ravenell advises residents to be cautious and aware of these scams.
“Here in Orangeburg County right now, we are seeing scams where people are asking individuals to send them money or personal information over the phone, claiming they missed jury duty. We will never operate like that in the sheriff’s office,” Ravenell said. He encourages individuals to call the sheriff’s office directly or, better yet, visit in person if they suspect they’ve received a fraudulent call.
To protect yourself from falling victim to holiday scams, always double-check any requests by contacting companies directly using official phone numbers or websites. Never share personal information or make payments over the phone unless you’re certain the request is legitimate.
If you receive a suspicious call or message, report it to your local law enforcement agency.
Chandra Gibbs reminds the public not to feel embarrassed if they fall victim to a scam, as it can happen to anyone.
“A lot of the time, we do understand that there are special scams that may target our elderly, but what we see is that these scams cross all economic backgrounds. They’ve affected individuals of all demographics, including gender and age,” Gibbs said.
If you suspect you've encountered a scam, you can report it to the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs at 1-844-TELL-DCA.