New scam targets local residents
Residents of Wills Point and the surrounding community have been no stranger to scams and scam attempts by criminals in recent years, with routine warnings from local police departments and businesses urging extreme caution whenever providing personal information to interested parties or access to a home.
On Feb. 23, Trinity Valley Electric Cooperative provided information on a new scam hitting the area, noting in a posting on its Facebook page that reads: “TVEC members located in and around the Wills Point area beware of scammers approaching rural residents posing as TVEC representatives. These scammers are telling residents they can help them with their electricity. They are presenting badges in blue with some type of TVEC logo. TVEC does not have any of these badges. Please be safe and stay aware.”
Other scams that have hit the area in recent months have included a “Mystery Shopper” scam, and supposed IRS agents calling homes demanding money for unpaid taxes.
Regarding the mystery shopper scam, the Wills Point Police Department issued an advisory in November explaining, “The scam typically involves the victim being mailed a check for $2000 or more. The instructions are to deposit the check and then send a portion back via Western Union or MoneyGram. The scam makes the victim feel that if they send the money back quickly, they will be graded on speed and get more orders for service than other mystery shoppers. However, the check is fraudulent and will eventually come back as such, leaving the victim with bank fees and out any money that they have sent back to the scammers in good faith. If it seems too good to be true, it likely is a scam. Never send money to a company in return for receiving a check or money order. Never provide your bank account information to anyone that you do not know.”
Shortly after the mystery shopper scam hit the area, the Better Business Bureau issued a public advisory regarding an IRS scam were “Impersonators are calling up their targets, demanding that they pay taxes they don’t even owe, by either loading money on a prepaid card or sending it via a wire transfer. Those who refuse to pay immediately are then threatened by the ‘IRS agents.’ The threats include jail time, deportation, or the suspension of the victim’s business or driver’s license. In order to convince people that they are real IRS agents, the scammers use several tricks including a program to make the IRS’s toll-free number appear on the caller ID, call center background noise, and false agent badge numbers. If the target is not already convinced, several callers are able to report the last four digits of the person’s Social Security number.”
In reference to the IRS scam, the BBB provided a series of tips and notes:
“-Hang up the phone. Never trust callers who use threats and hostility to bully their targets into doing what they want. This is a tactic many scammers use.
-If you receive an email, delete it. The IRS will not attempt to contact you through email. -If you receive an email from someone claiming to be the IRS, then it is probably a scam. Emails that scammers send may include computer viruses that could harm your computer or access personal information.
-Report the incident. If you are a victim of this scam, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1-800-366-4484 or online at treasury.gov.”
