John Willoughby: Greene Publishing, Inc.
We've all received a sketchy call where the person on the other line claims they are with the Internal Revenue Service. Some may have had a call stating they've received a free grant or have won a substantial amount of money. Regardless of what you've been told by the stranger who just called you, Major David Harper of the Madison County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) warns of the "too good to be true" instances.
Major Harper visited with the seniors of Madison County on Monday, Jan. 14, at the Senior Citizens Council of Madison County, for the purpose of educating them on the different types of scams and frauds that are received in Madison County on a monthly and annual basis, as well as around the world.
According to Major Harper, the MCSO received 134 reports of scam and fraud-related crimes in 2018. On average, 11 related calls were received on a monthly basis where the caller has reported being a victim of a scam or fraud. Major Harper explained that those figures did not reflect reports of unsuccessful attempts of scam or fraud.
During the meeting with Major Harper, he explained that the most common scams reported in Madison County include, but are not limited to telephone scams, Internal Revenue Service imposter scams, charity, lottery and sweepstakes scams, as well as tax identification theft and government grant scams.
Through telephone scams, the scammer may often be a real person, or may try to contact a targeted victim by text message. False promises are often made, according to Major Harper, including investment opportunities that were never available or "free" products that are often promised to be sent in exchange for cash, however, those once said "free" products are never sent.
One way telephone scams are somewhat successful is due to the ability to spoof phone numbers, making the number that shows up on the potential victims' caller ID look like a local business or corporation. Additionally, Major Harper informs citizens to be aware of scammers that begin their phone calls with "Can you hear me?" Saying "yes" can give them final access to personal information they already have received illegally, in order to make purchases or account changes.
Steering clear of scamming telephone calls can be tricky, however, registering your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry (DNC) can help you identify scamming calls. Upon registering with the DNC, if you still receive calls from "telemarketers," it is often a scam. Telephone scams are to be reported to the Federal Trade Commission at (877) 382-4357, as well as local law enforcement.
Another common scam in Madison County is phony calls from those who claim to be employees of the IRS. Most phony calls from the deceitful imposter are often made during tax season, however, Major Harper expressed that because of the successful nature of the scam, calls are usually made year-round now.
IRS imposters normally contact victims by phone, email, postal mail or by text message, in order to scam the victim by using tax collection or verification tactics. Commonly, victims received information from the imposter that they owe back taxes, immediately demanding payment paid through a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. Should you not fall into the trap of the imposter, the phony will often threaten that law enforcement has been notified and are coming for the arrest of the victim.
Additionally, imposters send emails or text messages with links that do not need to be clicked. Those scamming links are often disguised with messages stating that personal information needs to be identified. Clicking fraudulent links can not only give your computer multiple bugs and viruses, but the imposters can easily take over and access some, if not all of the victim's personal information.
Major Harper notes that the IRS will always contact citizens by mail before calling about unpaid taxes. Another way to catch the imposter is to request they provide you with their name, badge number and a call back number. Upon receiving that information, victims are encouraged to call the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at (800) 366-4484 to confirm the authentication of the call you just received.
You are encouraged not to click on suspicious links and the IRS will never threaten to have law enforcement take action for not paying dues. Also, be aware of those who demand money immediately. Emails that claim to be from the IRS can be sent to phishing@irs.gov, and you are encouraged to report the scam to your local law enforcement.
We've all had a dream of someday winning one million dollars and retiring in a five bedroom home on 50 plus acres of paradise, however, lottery and sweepstakes scams are alive and well and Major Harper would like to encourage citizens of Madison County to not fall for winning a lump sum of money out of nowhere.
Prize scammers often inform the victims of their winnings – usually a lump sum of money and/or a brand new car. However, getting the prize to the victim is often the scam. The scammer may say, "You've won $250,000 but I need $1,500 to pay for the taxes," or "Before I send you this brand new car, I need to ship it to you so I need $6,000 for shipping and handling." The money can be sent out to the scammer and the victim will never see the money or brand new car the scammer "promised."
Often times, these scams can be received by email, postage mail or through a phone call. If a letter is sent through mail, check the postage on the notice. If the mail was sent bulk rate, chances are many other people received the exact same letter as you did – it's probably a scam. If you're unsure of the letter, try to contact the actual company to verify your winnings.
Additionally, Major Harper encourages citizens not to wire money to, or deposit a check from, any organization claiming to run a sweepstakes or lottery. Banking and personal information should never be given and taxes are usually taken out of real winnings before they are sent to the winner. Lottery and sweepstakes scams are to be reported to the Federal Trade Commission at (877) 382-4357, as well as to local law enforcement.
Scams can be really deceiving and rarely can law enforcement retrieve money that was lost in a scam or fraud. Regardless, scams and frauds are to be reported to local law enforcement, even if you are unsure of the attempt. The following numbers are provided to citizens by Major Harper in the case of scams: MCSO, (850) 973-4001; Madison Police Department, (850) 973-5077; Florida Attorney General Office of Consumer Protection, (866) 966-7226; Federal Communications Commission, (888) 225-5322; National Center for Disaster Fraud, (866) 720-5721; Better Business Bureau, (703) 276-0100; Equifax, (888) 766-0008; Experian, (888) 397-3742; and TransUnion, (800) 680-7289.