CAMPBELL — Many Mahoning Valley residents have fallen prey to a variety of online and phone scams, county Prosecutor Lynn A. Maro says, but being knowledgeable about them is the first key step to avoiding being victimized.

“The biggest one is from the turnpike commission saying you didn’t pay your toll,” Maro told about 50 residents who attended a monthly town hall meeting Wednesday evening at the community center in Roosevelt Park.

Hosting the 90-minute session was Mayor George Levendis.

During her presentation, the prosecutor outlined a series of common scams for which to be aware. Among the most pervasive are phony calls from those claiming to be law enforcement personnel, along with “check washing” crimes.

The region has experienced, in recent months, an uptick in “check washing” incidents in which scammers steal checks, usually from mailboxes, then use certain chemicals to remove the original ink before rewriting the checks to themselves and cashing or depositing them.

Keeping checks in secure locations and using fraud-safe pens are good ways to avoid falling victim, Maro advised.

Such pens were distributed after Wednesday’s session.

Some residents have reported receiving calls from bad actors claiming to represent the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office who pressure them – under the threat of arrest – to withdraw money to pay for a supposed unpaid bond. It’s vital that people realize no law enforcement official will call to insist someone pay such fines with cash up front, she said.

Those who receive these calls should hang up and contact the sheriff’s office at 330-480-5000.

It’s also vital for people to be wary of suspicious text messages – ones that may impersonate everything from government agencies to e-commerce stores to financial institutions, Maro advised. One of the first ways to avoid being victimized is to refrain from clicking on any links that accompany these correspondences, she said.

If given a choice to report or delete such messages, it’s far better to swipe to delete than to click on “report” because the latter can trace the person’s contact information, Maro said.

She added that anyone who’s asked to pay for something with gift cards can safely assume it’s a scam.

A particularly insidious con is often perpetrated by those who are savvy enough to misuse voice-recognition technology with the help of artificial intelligence.

These scammers can feign being a grandchild or other relative of those they’re calling and claim to be in some type of distress, such as having been in a motor vehicle accident, and will ask or plead for money, Maro explained.

“The smartest thing is to call the person who is supposedly in trouble,” she advised.

Also, it’s crucial to watch out for online ads that, if clicked on, can freeze one’s computer as the scammer holds the machine for ransom and demands payment, often in bitcoins, to release it, Maro explained.

“You should not be clicking on these ads,” she said.

Also at the town hall meeting was John B. Juhasz Jr., chief of the prosecutor’s office’s criminal division, who spoke mostly on the state’s concealed-carry law and Ohio’s Castle doctrine, often referred to as the “stand your ground” law.

“In general, if you’re 21, you can carry without a license,” Juhasz said, adding that exceptions include those who are deemed mentally ill, have a civil protection order against them or have certain felony convictions.

Another exception is a business that posts a sign forbidding firearms in the establishment, he added.

A few years ago, Ohio changed the law regarding the protocol when police conduct traffic stops. Beforehand, drivers were supposed to place their hands on the steering wheel and declare up front if they had a firearm. Even though neither of these is required now, motorists who are stopped must be truthful if the officer asks whether they have a gun, or face a possible charge for lying, Juhasz explained.

Nevertheless, it’s highly recommended that those who are pulled over continue to follow the old law for their safety and that of the officer, he said.

Also, concealed-carry permits have to be renewed every five years, as per state law, Juhasz added.

“The two biggest words I would recommend are caution and common sense,” he said about being lawfully armed.

Several attendees had questions about the Castle doctrine – especially regarding when using deadly force in one’s home is permissible.

The primary element a 15-member grand jury or a 12-member trial jury in such cases will consider is reasonableness, Juhasz noted.

For example, homeowners likely will be ruled as justified in their use of such force if it can be shown that they had a reasonable fear for their well-being and lives, including no escape.

On the other hand, homeowners may be charged criminally if, for instance, they fatally shoot a burglar who is stealing a TV but is retreating through a window and poses no imminent threat, Juhasz said.

When possible, the homeowner should call 911 or hold the perpetrator at bay until police arrive, said Juhasz, who, along with Maro, discouraged the use of vigilante justice.

In addition, Maro told the residents that firearms are the No. 1 means of suicides and accidental shootings.

After the session, she and Juhasz distributed free gun locks.