The Lake Havasu City Police Department is warning the community of two recent local scams. 

One particular scam has to do with Vacation Rentals by Owner or V.R.B.O.s. Scammers have been using Craigslist to advertise rental properties in Lake Havasu City using fake or actual photos of a rental property.  They may advertise very low prices to get your attention but often these deals are too good to be true.  Do your own research before exchanging any money for a rental.  You can help protect yourself by using reputable companies and not clicking on a link you may receive in an email.  You can search on-line to see if the property has already been “flagged” as a scam and if the rental unit actually exists.  Avoid using cash or a debit card to make a deposit on a rental property. A credit card will offer better protections if you find yourself a victim of a scam.

Another scam has to do with computer technical support.  The caller will state they are with Microsoft, Apple, or some other computer related business and try to convince you that your computer has a virus. The caller may offer to send you a gift card electronically and ask for access codes to your computer.  The caller may also ask for your credit card, banking or other personal information.  This is a scam.  Unless you initiate the phone call to a legitimate company, do not provide any of your personal information.

The police department encourages the community to report these types of fraudulent calls and be aware that scammers are constantly devising new schemes in an attempt to get your money.  Do not provide your address, phone number, banking, credit card, social security number or any other personal information to anyone that calls you unsolicited.  Caller identification can make it appear the caller is local; however, this is just another tactic used by scammers. Additional consumer tips of things you can do to avoid becoming a victim and find out about current scams can be found at the Federal Trade Commission’s website www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts

Public Information Officer:  Sergeant Tom Gray (928) 855-1171