Thursday, October 1, 2026
Hood County residents are being urged to remain cautious as phone and online scams targeting community members continue to increase. Law enforcement officials say the scams are becoming more sophisticated and often rely on fear and urgency to pressure victims into sending large sums of money.
James Luckie, an investigator with the Hood County Sheriffs Office, has handled several fraud cases in the county, said the financial damage these scams can cause is significant.
“I have seen cases where people have taken their whole life savings — hundreds of thousands of dollars — and put them into these scams,” Luckie said. “Once that money is gone, especially when it’s sent electronically or through cryptocurrency, it can be extremely difficult or even impossible to recover.”
Many scams begin with what appears to be a legitimate phone call. Victims may be told the call is coming from their bank, a government agency or a debt-collection company.
In one recent case, a Hood County woman received a phone call from someone claiming to be a representative from her bank. The caller told her there had been suspicious activity on her account and that immediate action was needed to protect her money.
“They told her there were unauthorized transactions and that they needed to verify her account,” Luckie said. “They sent her a security code and told her to read it back to them. When she gave them that code, it essentially gave them access to her account and they began transferring funds.”
Luckie said scammers often victimize older residents because they may be less familiar with advances in technology, and panic can influence decision-making. Many victims do not realize something is wrong until after the transfer has already been made.
“These people target everyone, but older individuals are more likely to respond,” he said. “They know if they can create panic and confusion, people are more likely to act quickly without stopping to think about what’s happening.”
Cryptocurrency has become a common tool used in many of these scams. Victims are frequently instructed to withdraw cash and deposit it into Bitcoin ATMs under the belief they are protecting their money or resolving a financial problem.
In one case, an assistant manager at a business was convinced the company’s finances were at risk and immediate action was required to prevent major financial consequences.
Another case involved a local business owner who was convinced someone was taking an interest in his company and immediate action was necessary.
“He ended up taking money from the company safe and putting it into a Bitcoin ATM because he believed he was protecting the business,” Luckie said. “The scammers had convinced him that if he didn’t do it right away there would be serious financial problems.”
Other common scams involve fake jury duty notices, fraudulent debt-collection calls or claims a victim owes money to avoid legal trouble.
Luckie said jury duty scams are particularly effective because they rely on fear of legal consequences.
“They are very pushy and persistent,” Luckie said. “They are very confrontational, and before thinking it through the first thing that comes to a lot of people’s minds is, ‘I don’t want to go to jail.’ So people panic and do whatever the caller tells them.”
However, Luckie emphasized legitimate courts and government agencies will not demand immediate payment over the phone.
“Usually if you miss jury duty, you'll get something in the mail,” he said. “In almost any situation, the best thing to do is wait for something in writing. If someone calls you and says you owe money immediately, that should raise a red flag.”
Luckie advises residents to ask callers to send documentation instead of providing personal information during a phone call.
“Send me something in writing,” he said. “You have my information — send me something through the mail and I’ll look at it. If I determine it’s legitimate, then I’ll take care of it.”
He also encourages residents to challenge callers who claim to have their information.
“If they say they don’t have your information, don’t give them your address,” Luckie said. “Ask them what address they have. If they can’t tell you, chances are they don’t have your information and they’re not legitimate.”
Luckie also warned residents never to share two-factor authentication codes over the phone.
“Banks will not ask you for that code,” he said. “If someone is asking you for a code that was sent to your phone, that’s a major warning sign that something isn’t right.”
Even when victims report the crime, tracking the money can be difficult. Scammers often use voice-over-internet protocol, or VoIP technology, to disguise their phone numbers and route funds through multiple accounts before sending them overseas.
Despite these challenges, Luckie said law enforcement continues to investigate reports and work with victims whenever possible.
“We may not always recover the money,” he said. “But our goal is to support victims, listen to what happened and try to prevent someone else from going through the same thing.”
Officials encourage residents to stay cautious, question unsolicited calls and contact authorities if they believe they may be dealing with a scam.
“The more pushy they seem, the more likely it is a scam,” Luckie said. “Stop, verify and don’t act under pressure.”
