LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office is urging community members to be on their guard against a recent telephone scam that the agency said has been taking place in the county.
A report from Sgt. Corey Paulich explained that a Lake County resident received a telephone call from an individual identifying themselves as a representative of the sheriff’s office.
The caller told the local resident they owed a fine and requested bank account information. The resident felt this was suspicious and did not provide the information, Paulich said.
Such telephone scams are occurring nationwide, and Paulich urged citizens to be suspicious of any caller who identifies themselves as a law enforcement official or government employee and then demands a “fine” be paid immediately over the telephone via credit/debit card or prepaid cards (i.e., Green Dot cards).
These callers are reportedly intimidating and threatening when demanding fines be paid immediately, he said.
Law enforcement officials do not call people and demand that fines be paid immediately over the telephone, Paulich said.
If you receive a telephone call from someone impersonating a law enforcement official and have caller I.D., Paulich said to record the telephone number, ask the caller for their name, badge number, agency where they are employed, their call back telephone number and the court or case number they are calling about. Tell them you will call their agency and hang up.
Do not provide any credit/debit card or prepaid debit card information to these callers. Also, do not provide any of your personal identity information, Paulich said.
If you have additional questions regarding protecting yourself or your family from telephone or email scams you can visit the following Web sites for more information.
– www.irs.gov : For more information scams, click on “Tax Scams” under “News/Events.”
– www.stopfraud.gov : The Federal Government Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force Web site will point you to what agency you need to report your fraud. They will have a link for tax fraud, insurance fraud, identity theft and many more. The Web site also contains information on how to avoid different scams.
– www.fraud.org : The National Consumer League Web site designated to provide information on current fraud scams.
– www.fbi.gov : The Federal Bureau of Investigations will investigate common fraud scams, investment related scams, Internet scams and scams targeting senior citizens.
Sheriff's office warns of recent telephone scam
- Lake County News reports
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