How to spot a legitimate offer versus a scam

We can all relate when it comes to those annoying scam calls, texts, or even letters in the mail, but tonight our team investigates, some that may come your way and actually be legitimate.

“It really looked like a fake ticket at first,” said Dianna Done.

Meet Diana

Dianna Done’s brand new Ford Escape got totaled in both of the torrential summer hail storms that tore through Southern Colorado.

“We had to have it towed to the dealership for them to give us an estimate on the repair cost,” said Done.

During the chaotic repair process, Done received a ticket in the mail from the Central Violations Bureau.

“It really looked like a fake ticket,” Done said. “They wanted us to mail money to Pennsylvania for $130.”

Not to mention the return address on the ticket was completely out of state in San Antonio, Texas.

“We thought this could not be a real thing,” Done said.

But, it turned out, the letter was, in fact, a legitimate federal ticket that required a court appearance.

“We had to go to court, otherwise there are notes on here that we could be criminally negligent for this ticket,” said Done.

So even though the document had what looked to be ‘red flags’ … the lesson here is to fact check.

“Do your due diligence, don’t assume it’s a scam, just check into it,” Done said.

Det. Jon Price, with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, explains, if it’s truly a fake call or letter, there will always be something missing.

“That’s how fraudsters work, they will make changes to make it look authentic when it’s really not,” said Price.

Bottom line – fact check any questionable call, text, or letter – even if it seems fishy.

Report a scam

Email Stephanie directly at Stephanie.Sierra@KRDO.com.