Tax season arrives along with increased scams
With Tax season here, IRS and other related scams are on the rise. Scammers are using technology to spoof or manipulate caller ID to make their calls seem legitimate.  NEVER give personal information over the telephone unless you are positive it's safe. Use safe websites, friends and family to verify the legitimacy of calls.

"The IRS continues to warn consumers to guard against scam phone calls from thieves intent on stealing their money or their identity. Criminals pose as the IRS to trick victims out of their money or personal information. Here are several tips to help you avoid being a victim of these scams:"

Please Visit the IRS Website for further information.

False Publisher's Clearing House Calls
A scam has been reported to the Jasper County Sheriff's Office involving a subject falsely representing themselves as a Publisher's Clearing House representative.  This subject states to the victim that they won a luxury vehicle along with (2) years of paid vehicle insurance. The reported phone number associated with this scam is 876-580-7681. Be cautious when providing personal information over the telephone and always research the phone number and company to ensure the validity of the phone call.

False Debt Collection Agency Using Scare Tactics
A new scam has been reported to the Sheriff’s Office involving a false debt collection agency.  This scam involves a person identifying themselves as with the “Northwest Receivables Management” stating that you have pending allegations of fraud and deception.  This particular scam uses “scare tactics” in attempt to obtain personal information and/or money.  We remind all citizens that scams are running rampant and to use good judgement. If you feel that you’re being scammed during one of these phone calls, immediately hangup and never provide any personal information. Reputable companies will normally communicate with an official letter through postal mail and may follow up with a phone call. Always investigate these types of communications using the internet, friends, and family members to ensure you’re not becoming a victim to fraudulent scamming.

False Out-of-Country Arrests Involving Relatives
Once again we see the continuing fraudulent activity where a subject contacts one of our seasoned citizens by phone implying that they are a grandchild of the person whom they have made phone contact with and stating they are in jail in a foreign country.  The country is usually identified as Mexico or a Central American nation.  The subject usually indicates that they were involved in some type of traffic crash and are in need of cash in order to be released from the local police.  These subjects are very well versed in obtaining sympathy from the victim who believes they are speaking to an adult grandchild.  Many times the victim does not want to embarrass the grandchild so they do not make contact with any other family members and follow the instructions of the scam artist.  They are usually instructed to either wire transfer money or go to a local pharmacy where they obtain “a green dot card” usually in increments of $500.00.  The scammer then calls the victim and obtains the victim’s green dot card information, thus obtaining the cash off of that transaction. If this is successful the subjects often call a second time stating more money is needed and will even put a second caller on the phone who indicates they are a law enforcement official from that nation to confirm the subject’s story.

Anthem Inc. Large Scale Data Breach of Personal Information
INDIANAPOLIS – In the wake of the Anthem Inc. data breach where the personal information including Social Security numbers of millions of people was apparently accessed by computer hackers, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office has seen exceptionally high demand in recent days for the free credit freeze function on its web site, www.IndianaConsumer.com.

Click Here for the Attorney General's Press Release

False Lending Institution
Recently local Law-Enforcement received the following information; that an ad was placed in a local newspaper on or about December 29^th, 2014 for the following business activity.  A false lending institution (Union Trust Credit Services) placed the ad stating they would provide a loan for several thousand dollars to anyone regardless of collateral, credit rating, or no credit.

The requirement was to send your banking information and a payment via MONEY GRAM and the loan would be deposited.  The phone number on the ad was 877-541-5995.

This is a false lending institution, a victim in this incident lost several hundred dollars before realizing the loan offer was a scam.   Once again, never send banking information or money to an unknown source. 

Local Utility Scam Reported
On November 25^th, 2014 a new scam was reported to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office.  A subject representing himself as a local utility company demanded immediate payment or electrical services would be disconnected. A 1-800 number was provided by this subject which was fake and non-working.  Businesses will send documents in writing through US Mail of any missed payments or disconnection notices. If you question the legitimacy of a particular business contacting you, call the company back with their phone number listed on your most recent bill or from the telephone book.  Never provide personal information over the telephone unless you’re dealing with a person or business you trust.

Hacked E-mail/Social Networking Scams
In hacked e-mail scams, scammers access a victim's e-mail inbox – generally a free e-mail service such as Yahoo, Hotmail, or Gmail.  The scammer changes the account password, locking the true account owner out of his or her inbox.  The scammer then assumes the identity of the true owner of the account and sends messages to everyone in the victim's inbox or address book, saying he or she is in trouble abroad.  The e-mail messages ask for financial assistance to get home. This scam also sometimes uses the victim's "friend list" on Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter to solicit funds from friends and family. (http://travel.state.gov)

The Jasper County Sheriff's Office recommends that anyone using online services such as email, social media, online shopping to use complex passwords. Follow this link to better assist in protecting your online data! - How do I create a Strong Password -. Additionally, do not use the same password for different online accounts. Each account should have a separate and unique password for the best protection.