Contrary to a current phone scam making the rounds today in the region, the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office is NOT hosting an upcoming Oldies Music event, and the Sheriff says you should avoid falling for it.
Sheriff Dan Abbott says that the fraudulent caller is asking for donations to a purported Oldies Music event, but there is no such event planned and the Sheriff’s Department is not seeking donations for anything of the sort.
Abbott says, “A potential victim contacted me personally about it, and gave me the number it was called from. It was a number in which no one would answer when I tried calling it, and it’s an obvious spoofing.” Abbott says, “Just as a reminder, always double check if you feel it’s a scam.”
He also offers some tips to help you avoid falling victim:
- Register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry. You may register online or by calling 1-888-382-1222. If you still receive telemarketing calls after registering, there’s a good chance that the calls are scams.
- Be wary of callers claiming that you’ve won a prize or vacation package.
- Hang up on suspicious phone calls.
- Be cautious of caller ID. Scammers can change the phone number that shows up on your caller ID screen. This is called “Spoofing.”
- Independently research business opportunities, charities, or travel packages being offered by the caller.
- Remember, don’t ever give in to pressure to take immediate action.
- Don’t say anything if the caller starts the call by asking, “Can your hear me?” This is a common tactic for scammers to record you saying “YES.” Scammers record your “YES” response and use it as proof that you agreed to a purchase or credit card charge.
- Don’t provide your credit card number, bank account information, or other personal information to the caller.
- Don’t send money if a caller tells you to wire money or pay with a prepaid debit card.
Abbott concludes, “Again, there is a scam currently going on today and they are using our office name in it.”
