Two different scams have been unraveled by prosecutors in the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office, resulting in the arrest of 3 individuals who are being charged with criminal use of a communication facility and theft charges, among others.

25 Year old Jaime Barham and 24 year old Francis Rohan of Bronx, NY have both been charged with corrupt organizations, criminal use of a communications facility, and several theft charges regarding a case in Montgomery County, PA that cost a resident $130,000. 

In that scheme, Barham and Rohan pretended to be from Publisher's Clearinghouse before soliciting cash and gift cards from their victims. Barham and Rohan are currently in prison, each on $75,000 bail.

In another case which saw a Lehigh county resident nearly scammed out of $15,000, officers say Qiang Li of Rye, NY posed as an antivirus program to solicit payment from the victim. Officers were able to stop the transaction by intercepting the cash exchange in a grocery store parking lot.

Li was also arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy to corrupt organizations, computer trespass, unlawful use of a computer, and theft. She is currently free on $50,000 bail.

While prosecutors were successful in locating perpetrators and shutting down parts of operations in these cases, the PA Attorney General's office still warns residents to remain vigilant, especially those who are elderly or have elderly family members.

There are a myriad of ways scammers try to compromise your personal information, but in general, any payment which is insisted upon in cash or gift cards is likely fraudulent. Gift cards especially are just that—gifts—and will never be solicited as a form of payment for any product or service. 

Further, many services allow payment online by debit or credit card, and any actor requesting in-person exchanges of cash or for cash to be mailed or shipped in large quantities is likely perpetrating a scam.

The PA AG also stresses that panic is a key factor in most scams. Scammers want their victims to feel pressured into making a fast, irrational decision and will often claim tight deadlines or harsh consequences if you don't pay up. If you're feeling pressured into making a fast decision, you may be getting victimized by a scam—call a loved one or law enforcement and have them help you determine if the transaction you're about to take part in is legitimate or not.

Finally, anything that sounds too good to be true probably is. Don't believe any emails you receive claiming that you've won a large prize, especially if you haven't entered in any contests. 

The PA AG says that anyone with elderly family members should speak to their loved ones about the risks of scams, and make sure they know what to look for to avoid losing a lifetime of savings to fraudulent activities.