Air3 hovers over downtown Harrisonburg

The Harrisonburg Police Department is warning the community of a string of recent scams. HPD said these scams are targeting anybody, no matter your age. College students, middle-aged and elderly people can all fall victim to these scams and Amie Raymann, a detective with HPD, said nearly a dozen have in just the past the weeks. She said some scams are related to a person seeking a relationship, friendship or they’re pretending to be from a local agency asking for bail money for a family member, prepaid money cards or gift cards. While scammers may sound convincing, Raymann said legitimate businesses or agencies will never ask for this form of payment. HPD has seen scammers reach victims on many platforms. “Often [scammers] will cold-call people. Never trust your caller ID, they can spoof a number,” Raymann said. “They can call you and say they’re with an agency, you can meet them online through various forms of social media, whether it’s Facebook, Snapchat, different dating websites.” HPD warns people to never deposit checks from someone you’ve met online. Before sending any money, Raymann said to call that agency or business to verify the person who contacted you is a real representative. If not, contact your local police department.

An Augusta County woman is accused of embezzling more than $95,000 from a trucking company. A grand jury indicted Marie Dickson, 52, of Fort Defiance. According to the Augusta County Sheriff's Office, the agency received a complaint in May for possible embezzlement and an investigation revealed thousands had been stolen from Crosby Trucking Service. The time frame of the alleged theft was from March 2016 to May 2020, according to Lt. Aavon LeVeck with the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office. LeVeck said Dickson was arrested on Tuesday and released on an secured bond.