​Collin County, Texas — Sheriff Jim Skinner today joined a nationwide public safety campaign led by the National Sheriffs’ Association to strengthen public awareness about fraud and scams targeting communities across the country.

As part of the initiative, Sheriff Skinner joined more than a dozen sheriffs nationwide to record Public Service Announcements now being distributed for broadcast on television and radio stations, warning the public about increasingly sophisticated scam operations.

Criminal networks are using phone calls, text messages, social media, and fraudulent ads online to deceive Americans, often posing as law enforcement, legitimate businesses, or people victims trust.

Americans now see an estimated 15 billion fraudulent ads online every day, and last year, consumers lost $12.5 billion nationwide to fraud and scams, according to federal estimates and internal social media platform documents. These crimes range from romance and investment schemes to fake “tech support” and impersonation frauds that can drain life savings and destroy credit.

“Scammers don’t take holidays, and they don’t slow down during tough economic times,” Sheriff Skinner said. “Here in Collin County, we continue to see criminals targeting residents through phone and online scams that impersonate law enforcement, government agencies, or financial institutions. If someone contacts you demanding immediate payment, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or sensitive personal information, that is a major red flag. Take a moment to slow down, verify who you are actually speaking with through a trusted source, and never send money or personal information until you are certain the request is legitimate.”

These criminals rush their victims. They pressure them. They demand money or personal information, often using fear and urgency to override common sense. Law enforcement officials urge residents to remember five simple steps:

“Sheriffs across the country are fighting back, but local law enforcement cannot do it alone,” NSA Executive Director and CEO Justin Smith said. “The National Sheriffs’ Association is calling on Congress and the Trump Administration to keep the pressure on criminal networks, with tougher enforcement, real accountability for bad actors, and additional resources to shut these operations down, many of which operate overseas and target Americans at scale.”

For more information on how to protect yourself and your family, visit www.collincountysheriff.org or the National Sheriffs’ Association at: www.sheriffs.org/stopscams

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ABOUT THE NSA – The National Sheriffs’ Association is one of the largest associations of law enforcement professionals in the U.S., representing more than 3,000 elected Sheriffs across the nation, and with a total membership of more than 10,000. NSA is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising the level of professionalism among Sheriffs, their deputies, and others in the field of law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice. Throughout its eighty-five-year history, NSA has also served as an information resource for all law enforcement, as well as state governments and the federal government.