Sheriff warns Emery County beware of scammers

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Emery County Sheriff Greg Funk warns Emery County residents about scammers. Scammers are doing everything they can to cause you to part with your money. There are a number of mailing campaigns right now which tell you that you have won a prize. They ask you to send in money to collect your prize. Beware of letters of this type and don’t respond.
There are a lot of research companies that appear to be legitimate, but they are asking for personal information. One local resident received a phone call from some research company that said they were doing a survey and gathering information for the business chamber. They were asking for information they shouldn’t have been. When Sheriff Funk checked out the number it came back to a research company out of Nebraska. Further checking into that number revealed that since January there have been several fraudulent calls being placed from that company to gain information to sell to other businesses.
Sheriff Funk said if it sounds suspicious and too good to be true, then hang up and don’t get involved.
Another scam involving mostly senior citizens is where they will call and tell you a family member is in jail and you must wire money right away to bail them out of jail. This is a scam. Sheriff Funk said that’s not the way things are done. Someone in jail can call someone in person if they need assistance. Don’t fall for these types of calls.
Another popular scam is phone calls from people impersonating Internal Revenue Service personnel. They will tell you that you owe taxes and must pay immediately. They will ask you to wire or send in money. Don’t do it. This isn’t how the IRS approaches tax payers. They will first send out an official letter. Be wary if someone says they are calling from the IRS.
The classified ad sections are popular places for scammers too. Someone will call you if you have an item for sale and tell you they want to buy it and will send you more money than you want for the item. The person is usually from out of the country. Then they say they will have you send that extra money back to them. The check they send you will be fraudulent and if you put that check into your account then you become responsible.
Sheriff Funk said if you receive suspicious phone calls, don’t be afraid to contact the sheriff’s office at 381-2404.