Grinches Are Attempting A Scam In Calaveras County
San Andreas, CA – Do not become a victim of a holiday Grinch as Calaveras County Sheriff’s officials warn of a scam targeting the area.
Sheriff’s dispatch has received several calls regarding a telephone scam.Victims reported getting a call from a person claiming to be a deputy and needing to speak to them about “an ongoing legal matter”.
During the call the scammer then attempts to extract personal information. Attempting to fool the victim, they even gave a bogus call back number, according to sheriff’s officials.
Detectives relay that the sheriff’s office does not solicit personal information over the phone. They ask anyone who may have received this call to immediately report it to the sheriff’s office at 209-754-6381
Below are some tips offered by sheriff’s officials to avoid being the victim of a telephone scam.
• Don’t answer unknown callers. It is recommended to avoid unknown calls and entertain any unknown service provider that tries to sell services to you.
• Don’t wire money. Many scammers ask clients to wire money; it is impossible to reverse cash when using wired money given.
• Never reply to messages asking you for financial/personal information. No matter, whether you are receiving messages in the forms of text, email, advertisement, or phone call; you need not to share your financial or personal information with the unknown message senders. This is called ‘phishing.’ Eventually, these crooks try to trick you and steal sensitive information.
• Do not confirm or deny your identity until you know who is calling. Legitimate calls will indicate who they are and where they are from.
• Do not disclose personal information or passwords. Do not confirm computer usage, ownership of anything in your house or account numbers.
• Be strong and put safety first. You get all sorts of phone calls from friends, family, business associates, scams, and fraudulent callers. Just asking basic questions and verifying caller information can easily stop you from making a big mistake. Some of these rules may come off sounding rude. But remember: it’s rude for a scammer, telemarketer, and fake non-profit to call you. Real companies won’t be offended.
