A fraud, waste and abuse hotline was recently opened by Arlington County. This hotline is used for reporting frauds and processing complaints. The Arlington County Board considers fraud to be an occurrence “when a person knowingly makes false statements [or] withholds information. Failing to report information necessary to determine eligibility or benefits [also counts as fraud]” (Arlington County).
Hotlines are important because the financial crime rates have recently seen a rise. In 2021, there were 17 cases of embezzlement; the following year, there were 30, representing a 76 percent increase. In 2020, there were 1,302 fraud offenses and by 2022, there were 1,637 cases of fraud. These numbers have only increased.
On November 24, two and a half years ago, Yesenia Amaya was arrested for stealing over $25,000 from a fake funeral GoFundMe campaign. The woman was arrested around the middle of June, 2025 in Maryland. She had been wanted by the Arlington County Police Department since February the year prior.
Another case of fraud in Arlington was a couple falsely listed for the rent of their house. The scammer told the couple that the house was rent-free; instead they were secretly charged money for renting the property. In this case, the couple lost $1,800.
Credit card theft happens when there are unauthorized purchases in your credit. However, if permission is given to use your card and they spend more than the allowed amount, it will not count as fraud.
Another form of fraud is identity theft, which happens when someone uses another person’s information in bank accounts or someone’s social security number. If your information is not used for financial gain, it would not be charged as identity theft.
Check frauds are another type of fraud. Examples of these include forged and counterfeit checks.
There are two categories that you would need to consider when filing a report: if it is a non-emergency report like forged checks and minor attempts of identity theft, or if it is an emergency like suddenly losing hundreds of dollars from your bank accounts, scams for thousands of dollars from a “family member” or expensive, irregular expenses from your accounts.
If your report is a non-emergency, dial 866-565-9206. This number specifically manages finance related, non-emergency reports.
If your report is an emergency, dial 911. Although the dispatcher hotline is famous for life threatening situations, disasters or serious injuries, 911 can also be called for fraud emergencies like the ones listed above.
Another crime related to fraud is called embezzlement. A person commits embezzlement when they use another person’s money that does not belong to them. The crime usually happens because their job or position gives them access to money such as a company card.
Fraud is becoming more frequent, and the most important way to prevent it is to be safe. Actions like being cautious of random emails from unknown people and only making online purchases are great ways to prevent online scams. Shredding your personal paper before throwing them out is another beneficial action to prevent fraud.
Besides small habits you can practice, there are also credit bureaus that can protect you from fraud. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act), requires a free credit report by three major credit bureaus annually.
