People in Dare County lost nearly $1 million to scammers last year, as scamming incidents trend upward. Local law enforcement shares data and scam prevention tips
- Corinne Saunders
- 5 minutes ago
- 10 min read
A “scam alert” image the Duck Police Department posted on its Facebook page on May 25, 2025, is seen. Most local law enforcement agencies regularly share public alerts about common scams. (Image courtesy Duck Police Department)
By Corinne Saunders
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Across Dare County in 2025, approximately 130 people were scammed out of a combined total of nearly $1 million, and most local law enforcement agencies report that scamming is an increasing issue.
Outer Banks Insider requested and received data from each of the seven law enforcement agencies in Dare County for this article.
Five of the seven agencies reported seeing increases in scamming incidents in 2025 compared to prior years, and most agencies reported older adults representing a significant percentage of the people who were scammed.
Dare County law enforcement agencies fielded a combined over 600 documented calls about or reports of scams or fraud in 2025, and approximately 128 people were scammed out of $899,652, according to released data.
Older adults or seniors who were scammed out of money in 2025 represented one-fourth of the total people suffering monetary losses reported to the Dare County Sheriff’s Office, about one-third of losses reported to the Kill Devil Hills Police Department, over half of losses reported to the Nags Head Police Department and “the majority” of losses reported to the Duck Police Department, according to law enforcement information.
In 2024, an elderly Southern Shores resident was scammed out of nearly $1 million, and a man was convicted in November in that case, as Outer Banks Insider previously reported.
According to Dare County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Doug Oberbeck, people’s best defense is educating themselves on the various types of frauds and scams and keeping an eye on accounts and finances.
“Do not engage with unsolicited texts or emails about financial information,” Oberbeck said. “If unsure about a situation, stop and seek advice from trusted friends, family, local banks or financial institutions, or reach out to law enforcement.”
Kitty Hawk Police Department Detective Jason Rigler said that people should be aware that law enforcement does not take payments, so situations where officers appear to be requesting direct payment are scams.
“Many of our local scams in Dare County that involve law enforcement in some capacity—like bail, jury duty and traffic ticket scams—ask the victim to pay in cryptocurrency,” Rigler said. “It is important to remember that law enforcement agencies do not take payments, and will never ask for cryptocurrency.”
Kill Devil Hills Police Department Lt. Julie Haner noted that any immediate pressure to pay also points to the request being a scam.
“Scammers frequently create a sense of urgency, use intimidation tactics or attempt to keep victims on the phone while persuading them to act,” Haner said.
“They may also ‘spoof’ phone numbers, making it appear as though the call is coming from a legitimate business, financial institution or government agency,” Haner continued. “It is important for the public to understand that legitimate organizations will not request secrecy, demand immediate payment or require payment through unconventional methods such as gift cards or cryptocurrency like bitcoin.”
Local law enforcement officers stressed that when people are in doubt, they should call the institution the scammer claims to represent or reach out to law enforcement, family or other trusted individuals.
“Email and electronic scams can be highly convincing,” Duck Police Chief Jeffrey Ackerman said. “The Duck Police Department recommends that community members consult family members, our officers or other trusted sources before clicking links or responding to messages that seem ‘too good to be true.’”
Dare County Sheriff’s Office
Oberbeck listed the following as often-reported types of scams and fraud in Dare County.
Commonly reported scams:
Jury duty scams
Jail/Bond scams
Online/Social media-related scams
Cryptocurrency scams
Commonly reported types of fraud:
Compromised bank accounts, including financial cards, PayPal, etc.
Stolen/Washed checks
Contractor/Builder fraud
Identity theft
Real estate fraud
A total of 497 fraud and scam incidents were reported in Dare County in 2025, 188 of which were reported to the Dare County Sheriff’s Office, according to Oberbeck.
“Of those 188 incidents, 64 reported losing money,” Oberbeck said. “Of those 64 incidents, 16 involved seniors or elderly (over 65).”
The monetary loss to scams in 2025 totaled approximately $181,640, and the monetary loss to fraud totaled approximately $216,157, he said.
Report numbers over the last three years in Dare County demonstrate an “increasing trend of reports of fraud and scams,” according to Oberbeck.
In 2023, there were 388 fraud or scam reports in the county. In 2024, there were 429 fraud or scam reports, and in 2025, there were 497, he shared.
Duck Police Department
The Duck Police Department investigated 20 successful scamming incidents in 2025, which involved a total estimated monetary loss of nearly $80,000, according to Ackerman, and many more unsuccessful scamming attempts were reported.
“Approximately half of the cases involved local victims,” Ackerman said. “The majority of the cases involved victims from the mid‑50s to early 80s.”
He added, “Current data suggests scamming incidents are increasing, particularly over the last six months.”
The police department is seeing increased email phishing scams, phone scams and mail fraud, where suspects try to obtain money through deception, extortion or by the theft of checks, credit card information or gift cards, according to Ackerman.
“Check and financial instrument scams are often linked to broader data breaches, making it especially important to safeguard personal and financial information,” he added.
“Contractor fraud, where fraudulent contractors obtain a deposit for a job, but fail to perform the work, is also on the rise,” Ackerman said. “Residents are cautioned about hiring unlicensed contractors and/or locating contractors through unverified online resources.”
The police department encourages community members to verify contractor references before paying a deposit or to contact the Town of Duck Community Development Department to verify contractors’ legitimacy.
“We understand how convincing and stressful these situations can be,” Ackerman said. “The Duck Police Department encourages residents to reach out if they ever feel unsure about a situation. Our officers are here to support residents, answer questions and make sure you stay safe from scammers.”
Southern Shores Police Department
The Southern Shores Police Department (SSPD) in 2025 responded to approximately 16 scam/fraud calls, and four residents suffered financial losses totaling $12,400, according to Police Chief David Kole.
“Consistent with trends across North Carolina and the United States, many of these victims were elderly,” Kole said. “While it is difficult to predict future fluctuations, current data points toward an increase in these types of crimes.”
The following are recurring tactics used to target residents, according to Kole:
Online purchase scams: Victims pay for items on illegitimate websites that never arrive.
Phishing and social engineering: Posing as trusted institutions (banks, Amazon, government) via text or email to steal credentials.
Government imposter scams: Callers claim the victim missed jury duty or owes a “bond” and must pay via gift cards or digital payment apps.
Investment/Cryptocurrency scams: High-loss “romance” or “friendship” build-ups that lure victims into fake investment platforms.
The police department encourages all residents to stay informed and to immediately report suspicious activity, Kole said.
“The SSPD remains proactive by posting warnings on our website, social media and through broadcast emails,” he said. “When a scam is reported, responding officers provide immediate advice to residents on how to avoid future scams and mitigate any existing damage.”
Kitty Hawk Police Department
In 2025, community members reported 63 frauds to the Kitty Hawk Police Department, of which, 43 were reports of scams where financial transactions had not yet taken place, according to Rigler.
In the other 20 fraud cases, local residents lost a total of $163,842.99, Rigler said.
“Our two largest losses ($40,000 and $47,312.72) were due to construction fraud, where residents paid for a job and the contractor absconded,” he said.
“We are a vacation destination, so we are still seeing some vacation rental home scams where the offender rents a home and collects payment when they have no ties to the property at all,” Rigler noted.
Seven frauds in 2025 involved offenders posing as law enforcement officers, and five scams involved payments via cryptocurrency transfers using convenience store bitcoin ATMs, he said.
While overall fraud and scam numbers have remained steady, the police department is seeing new technologies, which predominantly target senior residents. Victims of all five cryptocurrency scams in 2025 were older folks, according to Rigler.
“Data shows scams and frauds staying near the same volume, but we are seeing a trend in using more new technologies and techniques,” he said.
“We always try to inform and educate our community through our social media regarding the latest scams, and it is a good thing that our community reports scam attempts at over double the rate of successful scams,” Rigler said.
Kill Devil Hills Police Department
Approximately 34 people reported financial losses to scams in 2025 to the Kill Devil Hills Police Department—about one-third of the victims 65 years old or older—with a combined total loss of at least $529,386.65, according to Haner.
The police department believes scam activity is much higher, as many unsuccessful scams are not reported, and some successful scams also go unreported.
“It is important to note that the true scope of scam activity is likely significantly greater, as many victims do not report these incidents due to embarrassment or because they simply are unaware they have been victimized,” Haner said. “While the number of reported cases appears consistent with the previous year, we can only speak definitively to those incidents that have been brought to our attention.”
Scammers’ tactics change continuously, but their objective to pressure people into sending money or disclosing personal information remains consistent, Haner noted.
The most common scams involve phishing attempts via email or text message, where perpetrators pose as representatives of banks, utility companies or law enforcement, she said.
Sometimes text messages are quickly identifiable as scams because the originating number is preceded by a two-digit country code rather than by the United States’ country code of 1, she said.
“We strongly encourage the public to never send money in response to unsolicited or high-pressure demands and to avoid sharing sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers, bank account details or passwords,” Haner said. “If a situation appears suspicious, individuals should disengage immediately and verify the legitimacy of the request using known, official contact information.”
The police department is also seeing prevalent romance scams and sextortion, she said.
“Sextortion, in particular, is increasingly affecting younger individuals who may be manipulated into sharing explicit content and then threatened with its release unless payment is made,” Haner said. “These crimes are often perpetrated by individuals located outside of the United States and are rarely someone the victim actually personally knows.”
She stressed the importance of contacting law enforcement, the organization someone claims to represent or trusted friends or family before taking any action.
“Look out for your elderly relatives and friends,” Haner added. “It is often a friend or family member that recognizes a scam and helps to stop it.”
Nags Head Police Department
The Nags Head Police Department recorded 40 reports of frauds and scams in 2025—up from 17 reports in 2024, according to Nags Head Police Chief Perry Hale.
Police department data shows that 20 people, 11 of whom were 60 years old or older, lost a total of $189,627.30 to scammers last year, according to Hale.
“The larger amounts we are seeing are scams involving cryptocurrency and hackers calling individuals representing Coinbase or other companies and getting victims to release passwords, etc.,” Hale said.
“We have seen many scams with calls representing law enforcement requesting payment for past tickets, jury duty, warrants or relatives in jail seeking bond, but very few [people] lost funds as they called our office asking if these were real before agreeing to send funds,” he said.
Manteo Police Department
“In 2025, the Manteo Police Department investigated 48 fraud cases where victims were scammed or attempted to be scammed out of $135,984.50,” Investigator Douglas Moore said.
“In a few cases, we successfully recovered some of the funds, but most of the time the money is lost because it transfers from one bank account to another, and the criminal quickly closes the accounts once they obtain the money,” he said.
Fraud calls continue to increase, Moore said, noting that he expects the department will have over 50 cases this year.
“These cases can be time-consuming due to processing evidence and collecting information through legal processes served to bank and other financial institutions,” Moore noted. “Some banks take up to 90 days to return information to law enforcement.”
As spoofs of law enforcement numbers are happening, he encourages residents receiving calls from alleged officers to tell them they will call right back, and to call the Dare County Sheriff’s Office 911 Communications Center’s non-emergency number or the direct line to the local law enforcement agency and ask to speak to that officer.
“As law enforcement, we understand if people do this for their protection because many scams are occurring,” Moore noted. “Law enforcement will never call and ask for money over the phone.”
In Manteo, a recurring “major issue” is checks being stolen from the mail, he said.
“Criminals copy these checks and then sell them on applications like Telegram,” Moore said. “Once they are online, anyone can buy them and attempt to forge them. Once forged, the criminal will take the check to an ATM, usually at night, and deposit it into an account or they will use online banking to perpetrate the crime.”
Moore recommends that people mail checks inside post office buildings rather than dropping them in the blue boxes. He also recommends not using the envelopes with clear windows to mail checks, as those make checks more easily identifiable.
A scam convincing people to purchase bitcoin to pay fines or to bail out a family member is increasing in prevalence, Moore said.
“Some local businesses in Manteo and Dare County have allowed us to post warning signs at the bitcoin ATMs cautioning people about purchasing bitcoin,” he said. “In most of these scams, the money is moved quickly out to foreign countries such as Russia, China, North Korea and Somalia.”
He encourages anyone who is a victim to report it to local law enforcement and to also use the Internet Crime Complaint Center website: https://www.ic3.gov/.
“Please also keep an eye on your friends and family, especially elders in our community as they are easy targets for scammers,” Moore said. “We are here to help.”
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