FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Sheriff Warns of Telephone Scams Again
Sheriff Mitch Ralston Reports:
As tax season approaches, telephone scammers are redoubling their efforts to deceive and swindle innocent people. These thieves, often located in foreign countries, have been operating similar schemes for years, but well meaning people still fall prey at times. These calls often appear as Unknown Numbers, or more recently as “ghosted’ or “spoofed” calls which appear on cellular phones as legitimate numbers. Some common forms of telephone scams include:
Threatening calls from the I R S; Threatening calls from a court (as in a missed court date or jury duty); Fake charity appeals; Credit card debts: Family members in peril; Bank fraud calls; Free or discounted vacations; and Computer tech support.
The callers will often request personal information such as a date-of-birth, social security number, and financial account numbers. Sometimes, the scammers will ask a victim to obtain funds though ‘Green Dot’ or other forms of gift cards, or ask for computer passwords.
NEVER PROVIDE PERSONAL INFORMATION TO ANY UNKNOWN PERSON !!!
These flim-flams can cost innocent people thousands and thousands of dollars when accounts are hacked, and since the schemes originate overseas, there is often nothing that authorities here can do once the damage has been inflicted.
When a suspicious call is received, it is always best to just hang up.