Just a brief note – we have a couple of reports of recent scam attempts to pass along.

We were notified of someone calling an area resident this week and telling them they’d just won five-and-a-half million dollars.  The woman told them they were crazy – she knew for a fact she hadn’t won anything ‘cause she hadn’t entered any contest – and hung up on them.  The person called back and said “Aren’t you even interested in what I have to say?” – so she told him, paraphrasing here, “I ain’t buying what you’re selling ‘cause I don’t need baloney,” and hung up on him again.  She told us she knew that it was just another scam, so she cut to the chase and got rid of the guy before he could get started good – which is exactly how to handle it. 

The second case involved a man who referred to himself as “Officer Matthew” and the short story is that it was another version of the Social Security Scam where he attempts to get the victim to reveal their social security number and assures them it’s perfectly safe because he is a so-called “law enforcement official”.  Of course he really isn’t; what he is, is just another con-man.

Never let your guard down.  Remember – never, ever give out personal, private information over the phone to someone you don’t know, no matter who they may claim to be. 

The best way to be safe is to simply hang up.