Full Notification

The Dearborn Police Department would like to remind residents to be aware of internet scams. The internet has become the newest avenue for scam artists. Scam artists utilize the internet to entice potential victims into losing their identity and money. Internet scams that often originate from other states or foreign countries are very difficult to investigate and usually have no means for victims to recoup their losses. Residents are reminded to follow the below guidelines to reduce the chance of becoming a victim:

-If the deal sounds too good to be true it most likely is.
-Never provide your personal or financial information to an unknown person.
-Be cautious of internet sites that sell items (example: Craigslist, etc).
-Never wire funds to pay for a purchase (example: Western Union, Moneygram, etc).
-Be cautious of sellers who claim they are far away or out of the country or cannot meet in-person to complete the transaction.

Please be aware that the internet can be a very useful tool. However, in the case of entertainment on the internet (such as popular card, gaming and gambling sites), the administration of these “free” services are not governed by our country’s privacy rights and your personal information that you provide in order to access these applications for “free” can be used to foster scams of many types. Avoid giving out any type of personal information such as your name, address, phone number, date of birth, social security number, bank account and credit card to such sites in order to protect yourself from becoming a victim. For more information, or to file a report with the appropriate agency, please visit the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov