From January 8-15, Sheriff’s Deputies responded to 896 calls for service/events. Higher call volumes occurred in the following areas: Traffic Stops-235, Suspicious Subject/Situation/Vehicle-43, Traffic Violations-37, Shoplifting Complaints-35, Check Well Beings-34, Alarms-23, Assist Citizen/Motorist Assists-23, Traffic Hazards-22, Car/Deer Accidents-19, Larcenies-18, Vacation Checks-16, Civil Complaints-14, Unwanted Subject-11, Property Damage Crashes-11, Harassment-10, and Disorderly Person or Subject-10.
Tax Scams – It’s that time of year again – There are so many different kinds of scams now that I’ll cover the most frequent ones this week and continue next week.
One of the best ways to avoid a scam of any kind is to slow down and verify everything. Scammers succeed in part by rushing you by often demanding an immediate payment or set an arbitrary deadline to scare people. Here is a look at some of the most common tax scams and how to avoid them.
Phishing scams - A thief tries to trick you into handing over your personal data by getting you to enter passwords or account information on phony websites. They may even try to get this information over the phone by posing as the IRS.
How to protect yourself: Never click on a link in an email unless you’re absolutely sure what the link is and who the email is from. Instead, type in the website yourself to go directly to the forms or information you need. Double check the URL of any site you’re being directed to. In the case of the IRS, the URL will include IRS.gov. If it doesn’t have it, then it’s fake. Report phishing scams at phishing@irs.gov.
Threatening calls - Scam artists often leave threatening robocall messages or emails pretending to be the IRS, warning of arrest, deportation, or even that your Social Security number will be canceled if you don’t pay up or take some action. Be aware of threats, time limits, or demands for immediate action. If you get notice of a sudden crisis that can only be solved by an immediate wire transfer, that’s probably a scam.
How to protect yourself: The IRS will mainly communicate with you by mail, although they may sometimes call. But they won’t demand immediate payment or threaten you.
Yours in Public Safety,
Sheriff Tom Reich