MOUNT VERNON – Local law enforcement officials warn that with the holidays, scammers will increase their efforts to separate Knox County and Mount Vernon residents from their money.
A spokesperson for Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told the Mount Vernon News that criminals generally look for checks and personal information, such as credit card bills, that may contain account numbers. Around the holidays, criminals may also be looking for gifts sent through the mail too, such as gift cards.
Capt. Jay Sheffer of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office told the Mount Vernon News that residents need to exercise due diligence when someone calls them asking for money, to pay a bill, or that their eBay or other online account needs a new password.
“Just don't take it at face value," he said. "Put a little effort into [verifying] it."
Lt. Andrew Burns, patrol commander for the Mount Vernon Police Department, said these phone scammers call 40 to 60 people daily. If only one or two of the calls results in them scamming someone out of their money, that’s a win for the day for them.
One popular method for scammers is to call an older adult and impersonate a grandchild, saying that person will go to jail unless they are sent thousands of dollars to pay the bond. Burns said that the fake attorney gives details on how to send the money. Because the victim is panicking, they send the money. If that scam for money worked, they’d milk it for more money, saying things like the charges can be dropped, but you still need to pay court fees.
“Another one that was going around and hit Mount Vernon was a scam that involved Publishers Clearing House or some other kind of sweepstakes,” he said. (This con was unaffiliated with the legitimate Publishers Clearing House.)
Instead of playing on fears, this scam plays on everyone’s wish to win a bunch of money, Burns said.
He said a local resident got hooked on a scam like this for months. They kept having to send more and more money in order to get the prize money delivered to them.
He said that red flags popped up during the scam, but the scammers used methods to keep those from being triggered, such as advising them not to tell anyone in their family until the time was right.
The most popular scam also has several red flags, but fear gets in the way of recognizing them. Mount Vernon residents have received phone calls from someone claiming to be from the IRS. The scammer says if they don’t send in a payment that day in good faith, the Mount Vernon Police Department will come to their house and arrest them, as the IRS has a warrant for their arrest.
“Believe it or not, we have had probably more people fall for that one than any other scam because they're terrified,” Burns said.
Local residents may not understand that the IRS, the Treasury Department, the Social Security Administration or any other federal or state agency won’t be calling them on the phone about money owed or saying the person who answered the call is going to jail. They will use certified mail.
IRS doesn’t take gift cards for payments
The government won’t be asking residents to pay them with gift cards.
“Don’t get me wrong, we know the government wants our money. But they will never ask you to pay them in iTunes gift cards, or Amazon gift cards, or anything else,” Burns said.
The Police Department has had several cases where people get $2,000 or $3,000 in iTunes gift cards and send them out in response to the scam.
Call local law enforcement agencies for help
“Stop for a minute and think in the worst-case scenario, if somebody calls and says the Knox County Sheriff's Office or the Mount Vernon Police Department is coming to your house to arrest you, it’s straightforward to call up one of our agencies and say, ‘I just got this phone call, and I don't want to go to jail,’” Burns said.
Somebody at each agency will be happy to help them out.
A local Kroger store reported several instances in which residents were trying to wire thousands of dollars via Western Union that appeared to be scams to the clerks. It happened so often, Burns got permission to leave his business card at the store so the clerks could convince the victims to call the local police to refute the scammers’ claims.
Delivery drivers, neighbors can fight porch pirates
Porch pirates are another problem that can get worse around the holidays. Burns advised people to get something like a Ring doorbell to record the thieves or arrange with a friend or neighbor to pick up their packages if they aren’t going to be home when they are delivered.
“Most of the delivery drivers around here are pretty savvy, though,” Sheffer said. “They'll stick it out of plain sight. They won't just leave it right there in front of the door on the front porch or something.”
Attorney General’s Office offers tips to avoid holiday scams:
Research sellers carefully. Search for complaints filed with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the Better Business Bureau. Also, look up online customer reviews about the seller.
Beware of scams. Watch for phony coupons. Be wary if someone asks you to pay using gift cards or wire transfers.
Check return policies. Look for exclusions and limitations in ads. Understand the differences among gift cards and consider paying with a credit card, if possible. Monitor your accounts.
