ROCK SPRINGS — Residents are being warned of a scam that resulted in a resident losing nearly $5,000.
The Rock Springs Police Department says the scam started on Facebook Marketplace and involved Venmo. The department reports the scam involves a person being contacted about an item they’re selling, with the alleged scammer saying they want to pay through Venmo. The alleged scammer then claims they have a business account and the seller needs to upgrade their personal account to accept the payment.
From there, the seller is sent emails or links that appear to come from Venmo and ask for personal information and verification codes. In the local case, the seller followed the instructions and later discovered nearly $5,000 had been taken from their account.
“RSPD wants to remind residents that you do not need to pay money, upgrade your account, or provide verification codes to receive a legitimate Venmo payment,” the department says in a recent social media post.
The RSPD says online scams usually start with normal transactions. The department says if someone asks a person to click a link, send money or provide a verification code to continue the transaction, they should stop. The RSPD also urges residents to not follow any directions unless they can independently verify the website they’re using is a legitimate website.
“If the other person suddenly changes the process or asks you to do something that doesn’t make sense, that’s a good reason to walk away from the transaction,” the department said.
