As recently as last week, there were two incidents that happened in Jefferson where scammers tried to trick people into giving out information and money. One involved a phone scam to Bill Schall claiming that he won a large amount of money and all he had to do was send a transfer fee to receive the prize. The other scam was about a family member that was claimed to be involved in an accident and needed money to be sent to take care of the situation. With this mind, Chief Dave Morlan and the Jefferson Police Department would like to remind you how to keep your personal information safe from scams.
Remember to shred all receipts, credit offers, credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, checks, bank statements, expired charge cards and similar documents when you don’t need them any longer before they are throw them away. Scammers and other identity thieves can go through your garbage, trash of businesses and public dumps. Keep in mind too that you don’t give out your social security number, date of birth or any credit card information to anyone unless you are the one initiating the call. To prevent your mail from getting stolen, retrieve it as soon as it arrives or have a secure mailbox with a lock on it.
If you receive a call from a company telling you that there’s problem with their equipment or receive a notice in your email, don’t just assume that it is legitimate. Before you give out any information, call the customer service number on the statement and check with them to see if there is a problem or about a notice you saw in your email.
Other safeguards against identity thieves and scammers is to lock up your personal documents in a safe place in your home or workplace. If you’re going out, take only what you need and leave your social security card at home. To better protect yourself online, use encrypted programs that scramble your personal information once you’ve purchased something or sent it to a business.
If you’re not sure whether or not you feel something is a scam or someone is trying to get your personal information in an unusual way, then you can contact the Law Enforcement Center in Jefferson at 515-386-2136.