Carroll County Government and the Carroll County Sheriff's Office are warning residents about scam emails that appear to be from the county.
It has recently come to the county's attention that citizens, zoning applicants, and others have been targeted by scammers sending emails that appear to originate from Carroll County Government, according to a post from the Sheriff's Office. Officials are urging anyone who receives such a message to use caution before opening it or responding.
Real county email addresses end only in .gov — for example, [email protected]. Addresses that add extra characters, such as [email protected] or [email protected]@usa.com, are not valid and are a sign of a scam, officials said.
County departments will never ask an applicant, citizen, or payee to wire money to any account, according to the Sheriff's Office. If a payment is required, it must be made by cash, check, or money order payable to the Carroll County Commissioners. Certain payments — including personal property tax, real estate tax, general billing handled by the Comptroller's Department, and utility bills — can be made online through the county's website.
Officials also recommended double-checking meeting dates against any message received: if a scheduled meeting doesn't line up with the day or time referenced in an email, that's another sign the message is fraudulent.
Anyone unsure about a communication claiming to be from a Carroll County Government department can call the county directly at 410-386-2400, contact the specific county representative they've been working with, or reach the Comptroller's Office at 410-386-2085 to verify it.
How to protect yourself
The Sheriff's Office recommends the following general precautions against scams:
Block unwanted calls and filter suspicious text messages through your phone or carrier.
Don't give out personal or financial information, like a Social Security, bank account, or credit card number, in response to a message you didn't expect. Honest organizations won't call, email, or text to ask for that information.
If a message claims to be from a company or agency you work with, don't click its links — contact the organization directly using contact information you find independently, not information provided in the message.
Be wary of pressure to act immediately; legitimate businesses and agencies allow time to make decisions.
Never send money by cryptocurrency, wire transfer service, or gift card, and don't deposit a check and send money back to someone you don't know.
Talk it over with a trusted friend, family member, or neighbor before sending money or personal information to anyone you weren't expecting to hear from.
More information on avoiding scams is available on the Sheriff's Office's scam prevention page. Residents who believe they've been scammed can also report it to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.