Guam Homeland Security is warning the community to watch out for scammers. They’re continuing to receive reports of phone and message scams from local, domestic and international callers. 

Guam resident’s spoke with KUAM about scams they’ve received and possible red flags to look out for. 

Yigo resident Grace Gueco said, “It says, ‘Congratulations, you won a prize.’ We looked at each other’s eyes and said, ‘Oh, that’s it.’”

Island residents should be on the lookout for suspicious calls or messages.

“They said I was approved for a loan. But I just dropped [the call]. I don’t entertain [it],” said Dededo resident Elizabeth David. 

Guam Homeland Security Spokesperson Jenna Blas said the agency continues to receive various scam reports. 

She added, “Previously we’ve received a lot of reports of different scams of suspicious calls saying people have won a prize for money in exchange for a large fee or even a payment made through a money transfer.”

Gueco recounts a recent voice phishing attempt. 

“She's one of my co-workers. All of a sudden she got a call and she was kind of surprised and curious. It was an unknown number, an international number. She entertained it and said hello,” she said. 

Meanwhile Dededo resident Elizabeth David said she’s used to it. 

David said, “I know already because it’s basic. There’s a lot of scams like these in the Philippines that’s why I'm used to it.”

But recently, the scams have escalated to encouraging vulnerable victims to meet up in person at a specific location on the island. 

Blas said, “Which can be very scary because you feel like you trust that person to help you through it and that’s not really the case. They’re asking for large fees through money transfers or even through your local bank.”

And with the Season of Love approaching, the community should lookout for romance scammers aiming to tug your heartstrings for your purse-strings. 

“Scammers can pose as different types of officials. It can be a family member, charity or company that you do business with and even more so during the seasonal holidays, it can be someone reaching out saying they’re looking for love on Valentine’s season,” Blas said.

If the romance talks take a turn to personal or financial information. 

Blas said, “All of those could be a cause for alarm. So it's important to check it out.”

It’s a red flag Gueco said she’s aware of. 

“That's the time the guy or whoever will be asking for an amount. Something like that. It’s already involving financial matters and that’s already a red flag,” Gueco said.

So if any social media or dating app encounter seems suspicious, David advises to ignore it.

It’s the rule of thumb Homeland Security agrees should be followed throughout the year.