It’s hard to know how many phone scams are active at any given time anywhere on the globe.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Log has had several reports listed over the past few weeks.
“I’ve seen some pretty interesting and elaborate scams that people get caught up in,” said San Juan County Sheriff Ron Krebs.
He couldn’t say whether there was an increase in phone scam occurrences, or if people are just reporting them more frequently.
“I think there’s probably more people out there trying to make an easy buck,” said San Juan County Undersheriff Brent Johnson. “They call 1,000 people and get three people to respond.”
The numbers of reports has caused Krebs to call the situation “an epidemic.”
Johnson said the phone scams can vary widely and include: student loan debt relief, false charity claim donation and weight loss products. There are ways to tell if the call is from someone trying to scam you.
“If anyone asks you to go to Western Union that is a 100 percent red flag,” said Krebs. “There’s not a legitimate business anywhere that uses Western Union.”
In fact, as of June 13 of this year, the Federal Trade Commission has made it illegal for telemarketers to ask for payment via cash-to-cash money transfers, like those from MoneyGram and Western Union, and personal identification numbers from cash reload cards.
The IRS asserts it does not call someone without mailing a bill and they do not demand you pay without the option of questioning or appealing. Requiring the use of a prepaid debit card or wire transfer is also not requested by the IRS, nor do they ask for credit card or debit numbers over the phone. The IRS has access to personal files, so they don’t requests items like a social security number. Additionally, the IRS does not threaten to bring in law-enforcement if you do not pay.
“That would not happen, of course,” said Johnson. “They don’t operate that way.”
Johnson recommends victims who receive a phone call that sounds even slightly suspicious should slow down, and really think about what is happening, and determine whether it is a legit call.
“It only works if it’s done quickly,” he said. “They love to [scam] seniors. They [seniors] really get scared, they don’t want to deal with it.”
Krebs urges islanders with questions or concerns to call the Sheriff’s Office at 378-4151.
