5 Scams That You Need to Know About

KENNESAW, GA -- Police in Cobb County recently warned residents about a phone scam that began with the caller asking a simple question: “Can you hear me?”

Since Patch reported that story, several news outlets have shared information on that and other scams that fraudsters are using to steal people's information and money.

Here are five other scams that residents need to be aware of in this day and age:

The 'government program will pay your bills' scam

This one works like this: For an up-front fee (or processing fee), a government program will pay all your monthly bills, saving you from the hassle.

The scam is especially popular in some African-American church communities, according to the Federal Trade Commission, which plainly says this on one of its blogs: "There is no federal program that pays your monthly bills in exchange for payment of any kind."

What can happen is this: They will pay your bill electronically for the first month and never again, or they'll cancel the payment. Don't fall for it. You've just given away your information and become late on your bills.

Credit bureau scam involving online rentals

Let's say you need an apartment or car. You're looking online and find one just to your liking. You call the number on the ad and they say, "No, problem. Yes, it's still available! We just need a credit check. Don't worry, we'll refer you to our website, which does it online and you'll get a free credit report as well."

The ads are fraudulent. The company probably doesn't own the apartment or vehicle. It's all a scam to get your credit information. Some companies will charge you a hidden fee ($25) to automatically enroll you in a credit monitoring service you didn't ask for -- and it's all to get a "free" credit report.

Read more: Phone scam starts with this simple question

The Federal Trade Commission put the stops on one of these companies, Credit Bureau Center LLC, because of fraudulent activities.

So what's the takeway? Never give your information to someone on the phone unless you get control of the car or apartment. If in doubt, check it out.

The Amazon gift card scam

Fraudsters are asking people to buy stuff online with Amazon gift cards. They are pretending to be in need of a quick sale and make it seem like time is of the essence, and, well, they'll take the Amazon gift card.

The only problem with this is that Amazon gift cards can only be used at Amazon. They know this, but when you fork over the access code, they've got access to all the money you have on the card. The feds say don't do it. It's a scam.

The Yahoo customer service scam

Tech company Yahoo went public with a personal data breach late last year affecting millions of users. Out of that situation, scammers concocted a Yahoo customer care page that featured a phone number to call. Yahoo says that it does not have a phone option to reach its customer service.

That means if you use your awesome internet search skills to come across any phone number from Yahoo customer service, it's bogus. Furthermore, Yahoo says that it would never ask you for a fee for any kind of technical support. Nor will it ever request to remotely reset your internet connectivity. It's a scam. Don't do it.

The fake IRS tax scam

With tax time rolling around again, the IRS in recent months has warned of a fake tax notice being sent to some homeowners. The notice claims that you have an outstanding bill and need to pay up because of Obamacare. That's right, the Affordable Care Act.

The notices look real, but the IRS says the tell-tale way to know it's not from them is that the agency will never contact you by email or social media, which is how many people are reached in this scam. Also, the IRS would never ask you to pay using a wire transfer or pre-paid debit card. Finally, the agency would never use threats of arrest or deportation to get you to pay up.

As you can see there are many red flags that can alert residents to hoaxes and scams. A few takeaways that we all can appreciate is to never, ever give your information to someone over email or social media. Also, never

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