Phone scams get more creative

There are a variety of scam phone calls out there that plague citizens, and Green River is no exception.

Phone scams go on as they always have, but residents are getting smarter. The amount of scam reports are the same but the numbers of victimization is going down, GRPD officer Luke Benson said.

“People getting taken advantage of is going down quite a bit,” Benson said. “Residents are more aware of the potential for scams.”

Phone scams usually ask for either money or personal information. Some common ones include, someone saying they are from the IRS and the resident owes money and if they don’t pay they will be arrested.

One includes someone calling saying a resident won a foreign lottery, maybe even a luxury car. A U.S. citizen cannot win a foreign lottery.

“If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is,” Benson said.

One is to send money to a pre-paid card. Another one includes a call saying a relative is in jail and needs money to get out. For that one, Benson suggests calling a relative to said person in jail to find out for sure.

“Try to verify the best you can who it is and where it’s (your money) going to,” Benson said.

Also, Benson cautions anyone receiving calls from an 876 area code, the area code to Jamaica.

“Unless you know someone in Jamaica, it’s probably a scam,” Benson said.

If a resident is concerned about a possible scam, there are resources a person can use.

Benson suggests to do a google search on the suspicious phone number to find out if there are any current scams using that phone number.

He said residents can also call the police department if they have any questions on possible scams, or if they would like to report a possible scam.

Other resources he suggests using is the FBI website; it lists current scams, and icfree.gov also has tips on scams going around.