Phone Scam Prevention Report Identity Theft Prevent Identity Theft Online Internet Crime Complaint Center (F.B.I.)
Distraction Burglaries
A Distraction Burglary is a crime in which a person gains access to someone's residence by tricking them in order to steal property / money:
These criminals pose as local utility workers or salesmen tricking their way into people's homes. One suspect may keep the resident occupied and unaware while other suspect(s) gain access through an unlocked back door, garage or window.
Keep aware of your surroundings, ask the person to leave that your not interested. Don't allow the suspect to persuade you to change locations, away from an open garage door or house door. Call 911 immediately if you believe your being or have been a victim of a Distraction Burglary.
Walmart Phone Scams - Additional Walmart Fraud Prevention / Information - Link
A Walmart scam has been reported to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office of a subject falsely representing themselves as working for Walmart. This subject told the caller that iPhone was being purchased with their information. The subject was requesting credit card numbers to verify the transaction. Be very careful when receiving these types of calls and never provide personal information over the telephone.
Publishers Clearing House Scam
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION LINK - consumer.ftc.gov
The scam starts with a call or letter saying you’ve won the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes. But to collect your prize, they say, you need to send money to pay for fees and taxes. Typically you’ll be asked to send money by Western Union or MoneyGram, or by getting a reloadable card or gift card. Scammers ask you to pay these ways because it’s nearly impossible to trace the money — and you’ll almost never get it back.
But that’s not the only way scammers get your money with this scam. Some will send you a realistic-looking fake check in the mail. You’re told that, to claim your prize, you need to deposit the check and send some of the money back for made-up expenses. But when the check you deposit bounces — even after it seemed to clear — you may be on the hook for the money you sent.
If you think you’ve won a prize, here are a few things to know:
- Never send money to collect a prize, sweepstakes check, or lottery winnings. If you have to pay, it’s a scam.
- Never deposit a check and send back money, even if the funds appear in your account. That’s a sure sign of a scam.
- If anyone calls asking you to pay for a prize, hang up and report it to the FTC.
Health and Human Services Phone Scam
A new scam has been reported to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office of a subject falsely representing themselves as working for the Health and Human Services. This subject told the caller that $9,000 would be deposited into their bank account and requested personal bank information to complete the transfer. This scam is phishing for your personal and bank information to be used for illegal purposes. Please be cautious of these types of telephone calls, use good judgement, and protect your personal information.
Utility Disconnection Threats
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office has received complaints from several local businesses that an unknown caller is stating they are an employee of the local utility company. This caller demands money immediately or utility services will be disconnected. If a caller is representing themselves as a utility employee and their demeanor is rude, demanding, or threatening; hang-up immediately and contact your local utility company and inquire if there are any discrepancies on your account. This scam can also affect homeowners or renters; so all citizens of Jasper County should be alert and aware of these types of calls.
Unsolicited Contract Work
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office has received several complaints of scams involving driveway paving throughout Jasper County (other similar work such as roofing, remodeling, siding, etc.) These individuals are approaching homeowners unsolicited to perform driveway paving with exaggerated costs and poor quality of work. Do not invite or allow them into your homes, garages, or out buildings. You have the right to tell these individuals their services are not needed and to leave your property immediately. Be cautious of scare tactics, intimidation, “good deals”, or work being started without consent. We recommended to all homeowners and/or property owners to obtain multiple work quotes from several different prominent companies prior to hiring contractors. If you are solicited for these types of work and feel you’re being scammed or the individuals refuse to leave, please contact your local law enforcement agency or dial 911 immediately.
We additionally ask everyone to pay particular attention to senior citizens in your neighborhoods for these type of activities since a majority of scams are targeted at our seniors.
False/Scam online ad response
A citizen of Jasper County reported that after posting an online ad to sell a lawn mower he was contacted by a subject from the Netherlands. The subject advised he was interested in the lawn mower and sent a check for more than 3 times the asking amount. The subject requested the citizen to cash the check, send the lawn mower to the Netherlands, and send the remaining cash. The check was fraudulent and the citizen could have lost a large sum of money. Always be cautious when making online ad transactions.
Credit Card Skimmers
Credit Card Skimming at ATMs and Gas Stations on the rise
There have been a number of reported cases of credit card skimmers found at ATMs and Gas Stations throughout Indiana. A skimmer is a malicious device that captures the magnetic strip data from credit and debit cards. This information can be used by the suspect(s) or sold on the black market to fraudsters who produce “white cards” or cloned duplicates.
It is important for citizens of Jasper County to be conscious of this activity. When using an ATM or fuel pump at a gas station, look for signs of tampering. Grab the reader if it looks suspicious and give it a tug to make sure it isn’t a skimmer. Look for things that are out of the ordinary. For example, is the color of the reader or surrounding area different than the rest of the ATM or gas pump, is the reader misaligned or protruding.
For more information, please visit the F.B.I.'s website on Card Skimmers below.
Fake Utility Employees
Suspects Representing themselves as local utility employees over the telephone
The Jasper County Sheriff's Office has received complaints of telephone calls from individuals identifying themselves as employees with local utility companies. These subjects are demanding immediate overdue payments and if payment is not made the utilities will be shutoff within 30 minutes.
If you feel a telephone call may be fraudulent, hangup immediately and call the utility company directly yourself and inquire on your account. Never provide your personal or credit card information over the telephone.
IRS Scams
Tax season arrives along with increased scams
With Tax season here, IRS and other related scams are on the rise. Scammers are using technology to spoof or manipulate caller ID to make their calls seem legitimate. NEVER give personal information over the telephone unless you are positive it's safe. Use safe websites, friends and family to verify the legitimacy of calls.
"The IRS continues to warn consumers to guard against scam phone calls from thieves intent on stealing their money or their identity. Criminals pose as the IRS to trick victims out of their money or personal information. Here are several tips to help you avoid being a victim of these scams:"
Please Visit the IRS Website for further information.
Phone Scam Reported
False Publisher's Clearing House Calls
A scam has been reported to the Jasper County Sheriff's Office involving a subject falsely representing themselves as a Publisher's Clearing House representative. This subject states to the victim that they won a luxury vehicle along with (2) years of paid vehicle insurance. The reported phone number associated with this scam is 876-580-7681. Be cautious when providing personal information over the telephone and always research the phone number and company to ensure the validity of the phone call.
Phone Scam Reported
False Debt Collection Agency Using Scare Tactics
A new scam has been reported to the Sheriff’s Office involving a false debt collection agency. This scam involves a person identifying themselves as with the “Northwest Receivables Management” stating that you have pending allegations of fraud and deception. This particular scam uses “scare tactics” in attempt to obtain personal information and/or money. We remind all citizens that scams are running rampant and to use good judgement. If you feel that you’re being scammed during one of these phone calls, immediately hangup and never provide any personal information. Reputable companies will normally communicate with an official letter through postal mail and may follow up with a phone call. Always investigate these types of communications using the internet, friends, and family members to ensure you’re not becoming a victim to fraudulent scamming.
Phone Scam Returns to Jasper County
False Out-of-Country Arrests Involving Relatives
Once again we see the continuing fraudulent activity where a subject contacts one of our seasoned citizens by phone implying that they are a grandchild of the person whom they have made phone contact with and stating they are in jail in a foreign country. The country is usually identified as Mexico or a Central American nation. The subject usually indicates that they were involved in some type of traffic crash and are in need of cash in order to be released from the local police. These subjects are very well versed in obtaining sympathy from the victim who believes they are speaking to an adult grandchild. Many times the victim does not want to embarrass the grandchild so they do not make contact with any other family members and follow the instructions of the scam artist. They are usually instructed to either wire transfer money or go to a local pharmacy where they obtain “a green dot card” usually in increments of $500.00. The scammer then calls the victim and obtains the victim’s green dot card information, thus obtaining the cash off of that transaction. If this is successful the subjects often call a second time stating more money is needed and will even put a second caller on the phone who indicates they are a law enforcement official from that nation to confirm the subject’s story.
Data Breach
Anthem Inc. Large Scale Data Breach of Personal Information
INDIANAPOLIS – In the wake of the Anthem Inc. data breach where the personal information including Social Security numbers of millions of people was apparently accessed by computer hackers, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office has seen exceptionally high demand in recent days for the free credit freeze function on its web site, www.IndianaConsumer.com.
Click Here for the Attorney General's Press Release
New Scam Reported
False Lending Institution
Recently local Law-Enforcement received the following information; that an ad was placed in a local newspaper on or about December 29th, 2014 for the following business activity. A false lending institution (Union Trust Credit Services) placed the ad stating they would provide a loan for several thousand dollars to anyone regardless of collateral, credit rating, or no credit.
The requirement was to send your banking information and a payment via MONEY GRAM and the loan would be deposited. The phone number on the ad was 877-541-5995.
This is a false lending institution, a victim in this incident lost several hundred dollars before realizing the loan offer was a scam. Once again, never send banking information or money to an unknown source.
New Scam Reported
Local Utility Scam Reported
A new scam was reported to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office. A subject representing himself as a local utility company demanded immediate payment or electrical services would be disconnected. A 1-800 number was provided by this subject which was fake and non-working. Businesses will send documents in writing through US Mail of any missed payments or disconnection notices. If you question the legitimacy of a particular business contacting you, call the company back with their phone number listed on your most recent bill or from the telephone book. Never provide personal information over the telephone unless you’re dealing with a person or business you trust.
New Scam Reported
Hacked E-mail/Social Networking Scams
In hacked e-mail scams, scammers access a victim's e-mail inbox – generally a free e-mail service such as Yahoo, Hotmail, or Gmail. The scammer changes the account password, locking the true account owner out of his or her inbox. The scammer then assumes the identity of the true owner of the account and sends messages to everyone in the victim's inbox or address book, saying he or she is in trouble abroad. The e-mail messages ask for financial assistance to get home. This scam also sometimes uses the victim's "friend list" on Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter to solicit funds from friends and family. (http://travel.state.gov)
The Jasper County Sheriff's Office recommends that anyone using online services such as email, social media, online shopping to use complex passwords. Follow this link to better assist in protecting your online data! - How do I create a Strong Password -. Additionally, do not use the same password for different online accounts. Each account should have a separate and unique password for the best protection.
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public of a new scam being reported to police. This scam involves subjects who impersonate Internal Revenue Service representatives and demand immediate payments with pre-paid debit cards and wire transfers. The subject often claims the victim owes thousands of dollars in overdue taxes. According to the IRS, their agency would always make contact with the taxpayer by mail or with a personal visit. If the subject is unsuccessful in obtaining money from the victim, the scammer will then threaten the victim with an arrest warrant. Use caution when providing personal information or sending money to subjects over the telephone. We are seeing an increase in the amount of scams and are warning the public to be alert.
HOME ALARM SCAM
In addition recent telephone calls have been received from subjects indicating they are with an Indianapolis based home alarm system. These subjects make numerous inquiries as to activities of the household on the basis of needing a home alarm system. Upon examination of these calls it is believed by law enforcement to be subjects using this information to commit home burglaries. If you receive one of these calls, hang up immediately and provide no personal information.We recommend that home owners seek well known alarm companies if they wish to have such a service.
SWEEPSTAKES SCAM
Deputy Trejo received a report from a victim who had been contacted by phone with subjects identifying themselves as sweepstakes officials and that the victim had won a new Mercedes Benz car. In order to claim her prize they needed a cash deposit of several hundred dollars. The intervention of a neighbor stopped this transaction before the victim could send the money.We strongly urge all residents to avoid these phone contacts and if a question arises to contact local law enforcement before releasing any funds and/or information.