It’s easy to think “It couldn’t happen to me.” But scammers know how to get around our better judgment. They play on our emotions or promise big payoffs to get us to act. And many use the names of government agencies like the FTC, trusted companies, or friends and family to get us to buy into their schemes. We may not be able to spot the impostor until it’s too late.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, wants you to know that scammers are posing as people, agencies and companies you know and trust. They may use phone calls, emails, letters, faxes or even text messages in their deceptions. To see past the disguise, you need to be alert to signs of an impostor scam:

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- A man who reportedly told the people who hired him for yard work that he couldn't work Tuesday was arrested in that couple's home Tuesday.

According to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, the alarm sounded at a home on Moses Creek Boulevard shortly before 5 p.m.

The first deputy on the scene saw a landscaping truck parked by the house and began searching the property.

The deputy reported no obvious signs of forced entry, but then saw a man wearing no shirt running inside the house.

The deputy waited until the man left the house, then ordered him to the ground until backup could arrive to complete the arrest.

Upon further investigation, deputies learned that 35-year-old Kevin Wayne Fralix had been hired by the residents for yard work, but said he hurt his foot and couldn't work that day.

He forced his way in through a patio window.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla.  -- It only takes a split second for a "car hopper" to get in and steal your valuables.

"In St. Johns County, it's been our number one crime  for the past couple of years," said Sgt. Chuck Mulligan.

"Car hopping" is the term for walking through a neighborhood or parking lot checking to see if cars have been left unlocked.

"They don't want to set off car alarms," said Mulligan. "They don't want to start dogs barking by smashing windows, so where ever they can avoid actually breaking into a car with physical force, they will simply go car hopping."

If a thief gets into a car, he takes whatever he can find. 

"They're going to look for the easy targets, and so if you don't take that extra step to make sure that your vehicle is not an easy target, these individuals could visit you," said Mulligan.