The Snohomish County Sheriff’s
Office reports that in the past few weeks it has received several reports from
citizens of scammers calling with several schemes to trick citizens into giving
money. The scams that were reported were primarily some form of impersonator
scam such as, warrant scam, utility scam, IRS scam. In at least one case, the
scammer claimed that the citizen had won a prize.
In an imposter scam, the scammer
claims to be an official from a federal or local government agency. They try to
scare you into sending them money to avoid imminent arrest. With the warrant
scam, the caller claims to be from the Sheriff’s Office or local court and says
that since you did not show up for jury duty a deputy is on his (or her) way to
arrest you unless you pay an amount in iTunes cards or another gift card
immediately. Some callers claim to be from the PUD and claim that you have not
paid your utility bill. If you do not pay right away, they will cut off your
electricity. With the IRS scam, they claim that you owe back taxes and/or late
fees. Someone is on their way to put you in jail if you don’t pay.
The scams make some attempt to
scare you into immediate action. Some go as far as to insist that you stay on
the phone while you go to the store to purchase the cash card. Others spoof the
phone number on your Caller ID so that you think that they are truly the IRS,
utility, or local police.
The best thing you can do is hang
up. No governmental agency will make you pay over the phone with a cash or gift
card. If you want to check to see if you owe money, look up the phone number on
a statement or with a Google search then contact the agency.
Also, let your family, friends
and neighbors know about these scams. The more people who are aware the fewer who
will become victims.
The Herald:
Federal Trade Commission:
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