Dartmouth Police Warn of Scam Involving Youth Soccer Association

Beware of a certain scambag on the loose who is targeting SouthCoast residents.

The Dartmouth Police Department shared details on its Facebook page over the weekend about an individual who is posing as Dartmouth Youth Soccer President Bob Long. Numerous SouthCoast residents received texts asking them to purchase gift cards from local stores and send clear pictures of the cards that would then be used as incentives for staff members.

The Dartmouth Youth Soccer Association and the Dartmouth Police Department both invalidated the scam texts, encouraging those who received them to delete them, block the number, and report the number to the Federal Trade Commission.

Let's be honest: Scammers are getting smarter, and sometimes, dangerous texts or emails can be hard to spot. If you're unsure of how to spot a scam, the Federal Trade Commission has put together a list of tips on how to avoid becoming a victim online to anything from phishing and text message scams to romance and tech support scams.

As someone who has fallen victim to a scam once or twice in my life, I can speak from personal experience that slowing down and truly analyzing the message is the most important thing you can do. If you read through a scam email or message too quickly, it can be hard to read between the lines and realize the message is coming from someone trying to access your information or take advantage or you. Slow down and never give your information to someone you don't recognize.