Dec. 2017 Scams Update from OC Sheriff’s Office

In their continuing efforts to educate and inform citizens and to prevent them from becoming victims of scams, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is releasing the December 2017 Scams Update. The Sheriff’s Office received word recently from a complainant regarding a man who came to the complainant house stating that a neighbor’s driveway had just been repaved. The man offered to redo the complainant’s driveway with a little cement that was reportedly left over. The complainant agreed for the work to be done and the price that the complainant would be charged. After the work was done, the complainant was charged $4,500 for work that, according to the complainant, appeared to be a mixture of oil and water to make the driveway appear that it had been redone. The man had two other individuals with him that did the work. The complainant said that man had used several names in their conversations. “As of the reporting of the incident, I am not sure if payment was agreed upon by both parties but at the time the report was filed, payment for services was still being contested,” says Public Information Officer Jimmy Watt of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. “The differences in the law in regards to something being civil or criminal in a case like this would center upon whether the work was performed in whole or in part with the exchange of payment. If money was paid and no work was performed, then it could be considered a Breach of Trust issue and therefore would be criminal. If work was performed in whole or in part and money was exchanged or an agreement for the cost of the work was agreed upon and the individual who had the work done thought the work was shoddy and refused to pay, then more than likely it would be considered a civil matter. A good rule of thumb is not to allow anyone to do any work for you without doing a little research on that company through the Better Business Bureau, for example. Always make sure they are licensed and bonded and that they guarantee their work. If you are seeking to have work done, get several estimates before choosing a company or business to go with and checking with family or friends for recommendations is always a good idea.” In a reported scam involving social media, a deputy from the Uniform Patrol Division spoke with a complainant concerning a message the victim received via a social media site from someone who appeared to be posing as someone the victim knew. The individual told the victim to send money in a Money Gram and by doing so; the victim would receive money to start a business. The victim sent to the money to this individual and the company who sent the money for the victim confirmed that the money was picked in another state. The victim has not been able to contact the individual who reached out to him since the money was sent nor has the victim received any services due to the money that was sent as well as of the reporting of the incident. In a second scam involving social media, a deputy spoke with a complainant by phone in regards to the complainant’s social media site being hacked where a friend of the complainant had been receiving fake messages. The complainant stated the friend had received message from the fake account stating that they were stranded with a flat tire and sick. The friend had already sent money as a result of the fake social media account on two occasions and was able to stop one of the shipments; however, the victim was out $9,000 from the other incident. The victim had received more messages and emails as well. “We always recommend verifying any correspondence you receive on social media from someone claiming to be a friend before you send any money to that individual and in most cases, we would not recommend sending money to anyone on social media,” continues Watt. “If the message looks suspicious in anyway or has maybe suspicious links, do not open the link at all and don’t respond to the message. Those who attempt these kinds of scams are always good at masking these scams to make it appear legitimate so please don’t falls for these kinds of scams. Always remain vigilant as scammers love to play on a wide range of emotions, whether it is fear or sympathy or perhaps getting something for nothing or even trust that has been built between you and the other party.” The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office continues to hear of reported IRS scams, including one in which the complainant told the deputy that they received an automated call informing the complainant that they were with the IRS and they needed the complainant to call them back. The complainant did not return the call, however, the complainant received another automated call from someone claiming to be from the IRS stating that the complainant was in violation with their taxes and unless they called back to resolve the matter, an arrest warrant would be issued and the local law enforcement agency would arrest the complainant. The complainant did not return the second call either. “As we have stated in previous e-mail’s, the Internal Revenue Service will not call anyone in regards to back taxes that may be owed. They will contact you via mail if that is the case,” says Watt. “If someone calls from a number you do not recognize, do not answer the call, even if it appears to be from a local number, as this could open you up to receive more scam calls. If you have received one of these IRS scam calls, you should contact the Internal Revenue Service at 1-800-829-1040 or the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484. As with all scams, it is always a good idea to educate yourself and others about how not to become a victim.” The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office also received word concerning an individual calling from an out of state number stating that he was raising money for the local volunteer fire department. He told a citizen who he spoke with that all the citizen would have to do is send $15 in an envelope for donation purposes. When the citizen inquired further, the individual on the phone became rude. Watt spoke with a local firefighter who contacted him on the phone and stated that the volunteer fire departments were not in a fund raising campaign. Also, Watt was made aware of a phone scam from a member of the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce in which an individual has contacted area businesses saying that they are affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce, however, the call was not generated by the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce. “We did receive word at the Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 30, that the Westminster Rescue Squad had begun their annual, door to door fund raiser for pictures which is legitimate but the call that this citizen received from someone out of state in regards to fundraising for the local volunteer fire department was not legitimate,” says Watt. “Also, the individual calling claiming to be affiliated from the Chamber of Commerce was not associated with that organization as well. It is always important to make sure that the calls you are receiving are legitimate and before you provide any financial information or decide to donate or give money, do your homework and make sure the calls are legitimate by hanging up the phone and calling the organization that the caller said they are calling from. If you do not have a good feeling about it, then it is better to err on the side of caution. You can do an online check for numbers you make not recognize to see if those numbers have been reported as scam numbers.” Watt spoke with a citizen regarding a text the citizen received which stated that the citizen’s either credit or debit card had been temporarily blocked due to suspicious activity. The text provided a link that the citizen was instructed to go to. Fortunately, the citizen did not click on the link. “This type of text that this citizen received may have been a type of scam called SMS phishing or smishing in which a mobile phone user receives a text message that contains a malicious link or the person sending the text may be asking some type of probing questions. We have always recommended to our citizens not to click on any links that look suspicious nor to open up attachments that look suspicious or come from individuals they do not know, whether those items are received from an e-mail or in this case, a text,” says Watt. “In this case, the citizen did not click on link and with good reason, as the link could have downloaded some type of virus or malware or spyware on the citizen’s telephone. If you receive this type of text, remain calm and contact your credit card companies and banking institutions that you do business with to see if there is an issue with any of your card accounts. Most importantly once again, do not respond to a suspicious text like this and do not click on any links you may receive.” In one final scam reported, a deputy spoke with an Oconee County resident who went online to apply for a loan. She received an e-mail about getting approved for a loan and communicated with a person claiming to be the one who sent the e-mail by e-mail and telephone. The citizen provided the individual with some financial account information and two reported deposits were made into the checking account. On both occasions, the citizens was instructed to go and purchase iTunes cards and to provide payment to the individual the citizen spoke with, which the citizen did. The citizen then received word from the bank that the citizen’s account was overdrawn since the deposits had been denied. “As stated in previous releases, one of the surest signs of a scam is an individual who asks you to purchase either prepaid or iTunes cards and to use this as a form of payment,” according to Watt. “Legitimate businesses will not require you to make a payment using a prepaid or iTunes card. Also, when applying for a loan online, do some homework and make sure the business or organization you are communicating with is legitimate and if you are applying for a loan and someone e-mail’s you back requiring financial information, do not supply it as most businesses you choose to do business with should have that information already or may not need it in order to process the loan. It is never a good practice to provide financial information in an email to someone who requests it. Also, another sign of a potential scam is someone who sends you a check or wants to make a deposit directly into your checking account and then asks you to send part of that money elsewhere. Do not deposit any checks like this that you receive in the mail and do not allow anyone direct access to your accounts as you will be responsible for your account if it is overdrawn.”