A Variety Of Scams Reported By Local Citizens
Mesa County, Colo. -- SCAM warning and reminder, yes "they" are at it again. The Sheriff's Office has had several phone calls and taken various reports from local citizens about a variety of scams. Here are a few summaries of the more popular scams recycling through our community, once again.- Relative In Need Of Funds: The obligatory call claiming to be your relative needing money wired to post bail from jail (perhaps they claim they gt a DUI or were arrested on a warrant) or pay an outstanding IRS bill. Sometimes they claim to be out of the country, traveling in Canada or Mexico, and may even beg you not to tell their parents about this money request.
- Computer Virus Update: A call comes into your home saying they are a representative from a computer company (perhaps Microsoft or Apple) and they need to remote into your computer to update virus software. Once they get access, even remotely, into your computer they may be able to access your personal financial records, identification information and more.
- Cell Phone Company Claims Outstanding Bill: Calls from your cell phone carrier (some say they are AT&T and other Verizon, etc.) Those "cell phone representatives" ask for person identification and payment information (bank, credit/debit card account numbers, etc.). They may also ask you to make a payment over the phone, obtain pre-paid credit cards or wire money to pay an outstanding bill.
In any cold call solicitations, where you CAN NOT be certain of who is CALLING YOU, always treat it with skepticism, at a minimum. No legitimate company will be upset with you verifying the legitimacy of the information they are contacting you about. Take the time to vet the claim, if you are in fact serious about pursuing their pitch. Also, government agencies (such as the IRS, law enforcement, etc.) don't call you to pay outstanding debt via phone.
If you believe you have been a victim of a scam or fraud and you live in Mesa County, please report it to non-emergency dispatch by calling: (970) 242-6707. Dispatch will assign your report to the appropriate law enforcement agency.
