(KNZA)--As scams continue to circulate across the region, a local sheriff’s office is providing resources to help residents from falling victim to scammers.
Brown County Sheriff John Merchant, citing “the alarming rate of unscrupulous individuals trying to scam people out of their hard earned money,” is making available identity theft information booklets. They can be picked up, at no cost, in the lobby of the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, located in Hiawatha.
The resource is made available as Merchant is made aware of another round of scam phone calls, including one falsely claiming that social security information has been compromised.
Another resurfacing scam is one where residents receive a phone call claiming that a grandchild has been arrested in a foreign country. “Folks are getting called. [The caller says] that their grandchildren have been in a jail in Mexico, and that they need some money wired to them right away, and they seem very frantic when they call. The folks are very concerned, and when they followup, they find out that really, in fact, their grandkids aren’t down there.”
Another scam is being reported that involves the false claim that the IRS is owed money. “We’ve had calls from people getting messages from people eluding the fact that they are IRS representatives and if they don’t send x number amount of dollars right way, they will issue warrants, or people will lose their jobs, or something, if they’re not complying with the IRS. If the IRS wants to contact you, they will contact you by mail, not by phone.”
Merchant says the safest way to handle such phone calls is to hang up quickly, and provide no information.
If someone feels they may have fallen victim to a scam, Merchant says they should call his office, or other local law enforcement, immediately.
© Many Signals Communications
MOST VIEWED STORIES
Meriden teen injured in Jeff co wreck
Two arrested in rural Horton drug bust
USD 415 board approves resignations, new hires
Fake sports rings seized enroute to Atchison
Early Saturday house fire battled in Atchison
Topeka woman arrested in Jackson Co on drug charges
Hearing held on USD 115 land transfer petition
4th attorney appointed for TX man charged in fatal Jackson Co wreck
Failure to stop, Georgia warrants, hold Atchison man
8-year-old injured in mid-week Atchison wreck
New Mayor appointed for Lancaster
LV man sentenced for teen sexual attack
K-9 bridge replacement underway in Nemaha County
Motorcyclist injured in Winthrop, MO crash
Lansing inmate dead, investigation continues
Hiawatha street repair project approved
LATEST STORIES
Electrical distribution project upgrades for Falls City
NPPD warns downed power lines can be deadly
MHMA Mock Trial Team wins state, heads to natls
Nebraska students taking advantage of dual credit courses
Lansing inmate dead, investigation continues
Motorcyclist injured in Winthrop, MO crash
Bird flu found in two KS dairy herds
Brown Co certifies election results