Scam Season Never Stops, Warns SCSO
Press release from SCSO:
A recent incident is an example of why the public needs to be aware of scams and the importance of looking after those who may be more susceptible to falling victim.
Earlier this month, staff at the Shasta County Jail contacted patrol deputies after speaking with an elderly couple who had shown up to the jail lobby to confirm if their grandson was being held there.
It was learned that the couple had been contacted by an unknown subject via phone and was told their grandson was in legal trouble and that he needed money. The couple was given the name and telephone number of a man and told he was an attorney who would be able to help their grandson. The couple contacted the man, and he instructed them to bring a large amount of cash to a local grocery store and call him when they got there. As the couple arrived at the business with the cash, they began to suspect they were being scammed. The couple notified the suspected scammer that they wanted to verify the information about their grandson and advised that they were going to go to the jail to confirm.
In meeting with jail staff, it was confirmed that their grandson was not in custody, and the call was, in fact, a scam. Thankfully, the couple did not meet or give money to the suspected scammers. The couple involved is commended for slowing down, questioning the scammers, and seeking to verify information.
This incident is a reminder that scammers are always hard at work trying to find their next victims. While scenarios can differ, common threads include scammers pressuring their targets to act quickly and often fraudulently claiming to be members of law enforcement or other officials. Keep in mind that, in today’s online world, scammers have often been able to gather personal information through social media or other internet sources. If you or someone you love receives calls like this, the public is advised to take the time to verify information through official channels.
Additionally, some scam attempts involve efforts to receive payment over the telephone to clear fines or other penalties. The Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement organizations will never seek payment in this way. If you are concerned after getting a call like this, you can call your local law enforcement agency to report it.
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Of course scam season never ends. The government runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Along with PGE, big Oil and big Pharma.
Nice jab.
These are the easier scams to avoid. The ones that took place without uneven a clue when suddenly a bunch of fraudulent charges appear on your credit card or there someone gets a hold of your bank account number and drains your account are worse. The banks are uninterested in designing a system to make it harder. They just institute ever easier electronic access because it reduces their costs, make fraud so much easier then write off the losses.
It’s become so bad that the last time someone started cashing e-checks on my account, I discovered it within a couple of days but, when I called the bank, I was told to just request reimbursement. They said if I closed the account the checks I had validly written would bounce and it was unlikely it would be repeated. This was fraud from a person unknown to me, the checks created were totally made up and looked nothing like mine. Even the check numbers were impossible.
When it happened again, I moved the money in the checking account into the saving account to protect it. I thought. But when more fake checks were cashed, the bank just covered them by taking money from the savings. By the time I finally demanded- yes demanded- they close the account even though they tried to discourage it, several more bogus checks got cashed. The salt in the wound was that the bank where the account was said they would request reimbursement from the bank that cashed the checks but no one, not my bank, not the bank that cashed them, nor the Eureka City Police that my bank insisted I report the fraud to, cared at all. Thousands of dollars disappeared and no one was much cared at all. This is a multi billion loss nationally that no one seems to think is a probem.
On the other hand, it took me months to get a new account, arrange for directed deposit and new automatic bill pay. Hours and hours wasted.
O I know it happens every time i buy gas!