Pierce County Sheriff Ramsey Bennett cautions the public to beware of a number of scams currently popping up in the county.
“We probably have two cases a week related to one scam or another. We just want the public to be aware and not fall victim to these folks,” he said.
The sheriff said there are a variety of scams going around.
A county employee recently was called and told there was a warrant for her arrest unless she paid a certain amount of money and sent in her personal identification, bank account information and social security number.
When the employee told the caller she worked at the courthouse and would check out the warrant, the call abruptly ended.
Other common scams making the rounds in the county include:
• a “relative” contacting you by Facebook asking for money or Apple icards or some related item. Bennett cautioned the scammers can spoof Facebook pages and even have information about the person when they make contact with unsuspecting victims.
• the Publisher’s Clearing House prize award scam. In this scam, a caller notifies you that you have won the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes, but you have to send in a “processing fee” or your personal identification, social security and bank account information.
• the IRS scam. Someone claiming to be from the IRS calls and says you owe a large amount of taxes or they are going to send you a large tax refund. The catch is you have to send in all your personal information.
“The IRS will NEVER call you on the phone or send you an e-mail without sending you written documentation first,” the sheriff said. “Do not send your personal information, social security number, bank account number or any other personal information to them.”
• the law enforcement scam. The caller claims to be from the local sheriff’s office or police department and may even use the names of local law enforcement officers. They claim they have a warrant and will arrest you unless you send money. “We never conduct business that way,” said Bennett.
Residents who believe they may have been a victim of a scam are asked to call the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff cautions citizens to be wary of mail or phone solicitations of any kind.
Bennett offers a few simple precautions to residents.
• Be cautious. Don’t give out personal information including social security, credit card or bank account numbers.
• Ask callers to verify the company they are calling from and ask them to verify your account information. If they can’t, hang up.
• Remember you can’t win a sweepstakes or a lottery you haven’t entered or played. To receive winnings, you shouldn’t have to pay anything.
• If you believe you have been the victim of a scam, call the sheriff’s office, your bank or your credit card company.
“We just want to remind our residents that if it doesn’t seem quite right to you, it probably isn’t,” the sheriff said. “It is also true that if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.”
For more information or to file a report, call the sheriff’s office at 449-2011.
