Sterling Intelligence

THIS IS HAPPENING. Be aware of your surroundings. Take your face out of your cell phone and look around when getting in and out of your vehicle. If you carry a weapon, do not carry anything else (purse, tote, etc.) in your strong arm. Put your money/bank bag away before you leave the lobby of the bank. Don't sit in your car after you walk out of the bank. Look around before getting out of your car. They will follow you home. Don't be an easy target. These people are ruthless. And for God's sake if they grab your purse/wallet/bank bag, let them have it! Your life is more valuable.

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Beware of Brushing Scam!

A recent scam has been showing up in many states. A "brushing" scam is when someone receives an unexpected gift or item not ordered in the mail from a place like Amazon or other company. Examples of gifts include, rings, bracelets, necklaces, Bluetooth speaker, etc. The gift will have the recipient’s address, but not include the sender's information or be from a known retailer. When the recipient opens the package to see what it is and possibly who sent it, there is a QR code to scan to find out who sent the gift.

Once the code is scanned, all the information from that phone will be sent to scammers. They receive all access to the phone. All personal and financial information is accessible to the scammers and often the victim's bank accounts are drained.

The gift can be kept or thrown away, but the QR code should NOT be scanned for any reason. QR code scams are nothing new. These scams show up in all places, including parking meters.

Inform your family members about the scam and avoid scanning any unknown QR codes included in the package.