Provided by the Bluffton Police Dept. on Facebook

1) If you are asked by anyone to purchase gift cards and send them to someone, take a picture of them and send the picture to someone etc. (ANYTHING WITH GIFT CARDS) even if you "know" the person making the request, always check with the person that requested them. There is a good chance the request will come from someone you "know" but in reality, a bad actor is pretending to be that person you trust. Scammers will use phone calls, text messages, emails and USPS to run these scams.

2) Never click on links in emails that you receive unless you are expecting the email and you know that it is a legit email from someone you know or a business you trust. There are so many instances of people's computers and other electronic devices being hacked because of clicking on links. If you question whether the email is legit, contact the person or business sending the email before proceeding. If you hover your cursor over the link on a computer you will be able to see the address that the link is going to take you to. If it doesn't match the sender never click on the link.

3) If you receive a phone call from a person claiming to be a family member or friend and stating they are in jail and need you to send money to bail them out, always contact others that would know the persons whereabouts and confirm if they are in fact in jail prior to sending money. You can also contact the jail in question directly (look up the phone number online) to see if they are indeed in the stated facility.

4) If you receive a phone call from a "legitimate" business that you may do business with (Banking institution, Spectrum, AEP, Amazon, Best Buy, Kohl's, Verizon, etc) and they tell you there is a problem with your account and they need to confirm your information, NEVER give information to the caller. Always tell them you will call back, and look up the business phone number on your own. Never use the phone number the caller may give you to call. These businesses will NEVER ask for personal information over the phone during a phone call initiated by them.

5) The information in number 4 above also pertains to any emails you may receive telling you there is a problem with your account, you've received a gift card etc. and to click on the link provided. Again never click on the link of an email you aren't expecting. Always call the business to confirm if there is a problem (not using any phone numbers provided in the email).

Please make sure you keep yourselves and your finances safe!! Also please make sure your elderly family members and friends are aware of this information as the elderly fall victim to these scams more frequently.