Bath police and a Bath-based bank are warning of recent scams attempting to fool residents.
Bath Savings issued a fraud alert saying they had received reports of customers receiving fraudulent text messages. The messages include a link where the sender attempts to collect residents’ personal information. These messages are not from Bath Savings. Bath Savings stated in a Facebook post that the bank will never send a text alerting customers that there is a problem with an account. Residents who receive the message should not click the link.
Earlier the same day, Bath police posted a Facebook notice informing residents about other varieties of scams. The first involved a rental property listed on Facebook Marketplace, where the victims corresponded with the seller to make a down payment on a unit that wasn’t available.
When people didn’t receive the lease agreement and contacted the real estate company directly, they were informed it was a scam, and someone had taken photos from a different real estate website.
Bath police recommends that when making an online payment for real estate, always be sure the person you correspond with is legitimate before exchanging money. Check the real estate page where the property is listed and call them directly to ensure the listing is genuine.
The other scam was a typical lottery scam where the victim is contacted or answers an ad trying to trick them into thinking they have won a lottery. Sometimes, it can be from someone claiming to be with Publishers Clearing House or a similar institution, with the scammer asking people to send $1,000 to receive a $8.5 million prize.
Police say this lottery scam is popular with bad actors, and once the money is sent out, it can be challenging to recover.
If you have been a victim of an online scam, inform your local authorities and file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crimes Complaint Center.