Klamath County, Oregon – The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office is advising residents to remain alert as instances of fraudulent calls keep rising in a fresh attempt to fight an increase in phone scams. Reports from residents who have either fallen victim to these scams or have just avoided them due to more knowledge have been constant occurrence at the Sheriff’s Office lately.
To get personal and financial information over the phone, scammers have been posing as law enforcement personnel including deputies and supervisors. The scammers’ deft use of caller ID systems to show valid phone numbers gives their dishonesty some legitimacy. Often trying to create urgency and terror, they say the target owes penalties or has failed to show up for jury service.
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The Sheriff’s Office underlined that they never ask financial information over the phone to settle outstanding fines or warrants. Those answering such calls are recommended to hang up right away and notify the police of the event. Two alert residents reported attempts to defraud them in a single day last week alone, but they identified the fraud and instead of answering the callers called the Sheriff’s Office.
The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office keeps giving frequent warnings and has seen good results from increased public awareness helping to prevent many possible scams. They stress the importance of skepticism when receiving unsolicited calls asking for personal information or money, regardless of how credible the caller may seem.
The Sheriff’s Office advises anyone looking for further knowledge on how to guard oneself from phone scammers to do research using reputable internet sites, where thorough guidelines and advice are easily available to strengthen one’s defenses against these scam systems. Verifying any dubious calls with the legitimate authorities supposedly making the contact helps citizens to stay alert and give their safety top priority.
