There are a lot of people that can be fooled by the new scam going on. I was hit by it, if I didn't know both were hoaxes, I could have been one of them.

I'm sure there are those of you that have received a phone call saying that you should pay some sort of fine to the police, IRS, social security office, or some other agency. The voice may be kind of robotic and so you don't believe it right away. The fact that the voice on the other end says "The Cops have been called and will arrive at your house soon" and then the phone call goes on to say if you pay the bill immediately they will call off the cops.

Some people have this email in their inbox, and it looks legit. you have been spotted running a red light and they have a picture of it. You should follow the link and pay your bill. It all looks right, but it is not, here's why.

scam screen shot
loading...

A couple of things stick out to me. Where is the email from? That is not a government agency or the real Department of Transportation. It also does not say which state's Department of Transportation this is from. The websites to pay the bill do not match up to a real site that would be for the DOT. Also, if they know who I am and were able to contact me (which for me, I don't know why they would use my work email because they don't even have my home email), they would know I am a man and not have to put Mr/Ms.

Get our free mobile app

Now, here is how people are being fooled. If you get the email and brush it off, then get the phone call, you might think both are real, because why would they call you after that letter. They must know.

This is not a real letter, and that is not a real phone call. If it was a real letter it would be mailed to you and you could see the proof. If it was a real call it would come from a real officer. The other thing is, an officer wouldn't call, they would send a letter with proof. Here's one more thing to think about. The Police, Sherrif, and Highway Patrol would not call themselves cops in a phone call (which they wouldn't make).

UP NEXT: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

 

10 Life Skills A High School Graduate Should Know How To Do

More From B105