Last week, at the Montross Town Council meeting, Councilman Clinton Watson provided a brief report on scams and a local initiative aimed at helping keep residents safe and informed about such threats.

First Sergeant Antwan Smith of the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office has been running a series of neighborhood Worship Watch meet‑ings over the course of the year. The most recent meeting counted Councilman Watson among the attendees, who spoke at length about how scams were evolving.

“They discussed scams in small businesses and protecting personal information,” explained Watson. “There’s a lot of phishing going on these days, especially with AI. They’re making it more realistic, and it can look almost like the real McCoy. If you’re not paying atten‑tion, you might click one of those links, and then you’ll really be in trouble.”

According to Watson, a number of different scams were discussed that evening, including mule scams, job scams, and others, and a variety of literature was distributed.

According to Watson, Worship Watch has not only taken off but is expanding.

“The program is beginning to catch fire, with King George and Colonial Beach jumping into the mix,” he said. “It’s going to be a collaboration between the differ‑ent police departments in order to get this information out so that the neighborhood can be a safer place.”