VB Police launch scam alert website

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - Virginia Beach Police have created a new web page geared at pinpointing the latest illegal schemes. Police say the internet is evolving everyday and so are the criminals.

Virginia Beach's Tom Popomaronis spends a lot of time on his computer.

"I actually run an online auction company," said Popomaronis.

He sits every day, working from home and plugging away on his site, Auctionopia .

"We're a competitor of eBay, but we use instant messenger," Popomaronis added. But now, he is finding hidden dangers.

"Being on my computer all day, I probably get 10 emails from different people saying 'If you give me $10 million you get money' and that just sounds to good to be true," Popomaronis said.

Most of the time it's not true. Most likely it's a scam.

"You get emails and you aren't sure it they're spam," Popomaronis said. "You want to look into it to see if it is and you wish that there was some sort of resource available."

Virginia Beach police say that resource is now here.

"It's very easy to get caught up in a scam," said Virginia Beach Detective Samantha Swanson.

The department has created a page listing the latest schemes and scams aimed at taking your money. They focus on anything from real estate scams to lottery, check and money order frauds. Detective Swanson says the page is an important tool in the ever changing worlds of technology and theft.

"As we grow and learn, so are the criminals," Swanson said. "The criminals are learning as well and new scams are created everyday."

Police say this is their way of staying ahead of the bad guys.

"Making the public aware can lessen the crime that's occurring here in the city of Virginia Beach and everywhere else," Swanson said.

"Whether you're savvy or not, having that one stop tool and telling you what's out this is a scam is a great reference for you to check on a daily basis," Popomaronis said.

The site not only lists the scam, but gives you a detailed account of how it works. Click here for the Virginia Beach Police Scam page.