Well, Just so ya don’t feel all alone, even Sheriff’s Offices get scam stuff in their e-mail !!!  I got one today saying that an item I posted on July 1st had been returned as undeliverable and if I wanted to check on it through the Post Office Tracking System, I just needed to “click on the link” — Well, it seemed a bit odd to me so I went to the Post Office in person and guess what ???  There was nothing there !!!  Surprise, surprise !! When I checked the “header” of the incoming e-mail, the “return path” had nothing to do with the Post Office… I’m 99% sure it was a phishing e-mail and 100% sure it was a scam……..So, if you get one of these or something similar, check it out before you “click on the link” !!!   BE CAREFUL - BE SAFE- BE SMART !!      Sheriff Karl Dailey

Northern Financial Services (supposedly out of Albany, NY) contacts you with a LOAN OFFER that seems very easy to obtain and with very few restrictions. Well, folks - it is TOO EASY - IT’s A SCAM !!!!  The loan offer will be for, lets just say, $60,000.00. The interest rate (fixed of course) is 9% — A bit high, maybe ???  The payments are $482.79 a month for 30 years. OK, could be do-able—  Ready, now here it comes….. all they need is your personal information and for you to send them $3,896.20 (USD of course) for some kind of insurance payment. The real kicker is they want you to send it by “Western Union” !!!  I never would have guessed that one !!!!  They make it look so very official and real, but it’s total hokum !!  If you need a loan, there are tons of reputable lenders out there who will be glad to work with you !!!  Always check it out !!  WHEN IN DOUBT– CHECK IT OUT and be safe  —– Sheriff Karl J. Dailey

I get calls about these folks every now and again. I may have written about them before, but one more time won’t hurt a thing !!   CMS (Credit Management Services) is one of those businesses that provide a “legal” service, but tend to walk the “legal” line in many instances. I had a call that CMS had contacted a person about a “Past Due Bill” - The bill had been paid and the debt was several years old. On the face of it, it appears that CMS was trying to pull a fast one and “Bully” these folks into “re-paying” and old and paid bill. I was told that the CMS staff were threatening, rude, impolite and down right nasty. Well folks, you do not have to put up with that. If they contact you, get all the information from them you can and give them “As Little information About You” as you can. Then, CHECK IT OUT !!!!  Do not take their word for anything !!   Check out the bill. Check out the company that claims you owe them. Check everything you can…… Then if you owe the money, try to work with the company you owe the money to. Get receipts for everything you can and get as much in writing as you can.   Then, if you need to, contact an attorney and let them deal with CMS…. Be Smart - Be Aware and Be Careful !!!    Sheriff Karl Dailey

You get a phone call offering better interest rates on your credit card. They want a ton of information from you and while they are talking, you notice that the area code on your CALLER ID is — 062 — or some other strange number — 062 is an INDONESIA area code…. Take a wild guess ???? A SCAM MAYBE !!!?? You bet it is….. You can call your credit card people and try to negotiate a better interest rate (good luck!) BUT, they will not call you. They may send you regular mail with an offer of some type, but not an e-mail and not a phone call —- so, when you get a call like this, look at your caller ID and check the area code and prefix…… better yet, JUST SAY NO and hang up….. Be Aware - Be Careful - Be Safe — Sheriff Karl Dailey

You receive an e-mail from someone (in this case- fraz2694@buckeye-express.com) claiming to be from a cable or satellite TV provider (again, in this case Great Plains Communications). The grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc. are terrible and they want your User name - Password - DOB (?) and Country or Territory …. WHY????   Because they are doing some kind of work on their system and they do not want your e-mail account interrupted — Gee, ain’t they nice !!! ??    IT’S A SCAM !!!   Remember - Be Aware, Be Careful, Be Safe !!!   Sheriff Karl Dailey 

A new twist on the check scam is going around. It works a little different than most of the old ones, but the result is the same — You are out a bunch of money !!!!!!  Here is how it works:  You receive a check in the mail with some phony bologna letter wanting you to “Deposit” the check in your checking account. Here is where it begins to differ from the old scam - The old scam asks you to deposit or cash the check and send part of the money to the scammers….. in this case they don’t need you to send them any money because by depositing the check, you have approved your bank to send the amount on the check “Automatically” to the scammers by wire transfer. Basically, the check they send you is a withdrawal slip that looks like a check. Routing numbers, etc. are on the check and the wire transfer takes place very quickly. SO, PLEASE - “Do Not” automatically deposit any strange checks into your account. Ask a teller or other bank employee to look at it first and advise you. They will be glad to assist you at any time - Remember, Be Smart - Be Careful - Be Safe  ——- Sheriff Karl Dailey

The phone rings (like it always does - at the worst possible time !!)… You pick up and a voice at the other end says that he / she is calling to tell you that you need to have a “New ID Number assigned to your insurance or you will not be able to access your information” (or something similar)  — They do not mention what insurance company they are talking about and drone on and on in very vague and non-specific terms. To set up this new ID number, they need - (ready for this ???)- Your DOB / SS# , etc to “verify” your identity and set up the new ID number !!!!!!  PLEASE DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY INFO. - Just hang up and let your answering machine screen calls for a few days until they stop calling. If you do not have an answering machine, watch the caller ID and do not answer when their number comes up. As of now, the number I know about is — 1-800-223-9113. Please do not call this number. It is just for your information. So again, Be Aware, Be Careful, Be Safe !!!   Don’t get scammed !!     Sheriff Karl Dailey

You receive a Fax - e-mail - phone call or letter from The OYP Group claiming that you owe them a sum of money (the standard seems to be about $399.95) for a “Yellow Pages” listing. Funny, you don’t remember buying the listing or speaking to anyone, but they claim you owe them the money. If you do not call or pay them, they contact you and threaten, bully and generally annoy you in an attempt to get the money. These people are making a concerted effort to RIP YOU OFF !!!   Do not pay them….. contact an attorney to deal with them. Let local Law Enforcement know about it. Keep an accurate record of all contacts with them and contact your local Attorney General’s Office and file a complaint. Also, the OYP Group will record their conversations with you and then EDIT the recording to say what they want it to say….. Be Alert, Be Smart, Be Careful…….. Sheriff Karl Dailey

You get your phone bill. It seems a little larger than usual. As you check your calls and service billing, you find a charge from ILD Teleservices, Inc.  You don’t know who they are, but if it’s on the bill, it must be OK…… WRONG !!!  This is a fraudulent charge - also known as SLAMMING — ILD tags a bill onto your regular phone bill in the hope that you will pay it without questioning it. You NEVER USED THEIR SERVICE, but they hope you pay them. If you call them and question the bill, they quickly agree to remove the charge, but only after you have given them a ton of personal information. Then they can change your phone service to theirs (without your permission) at a HUGE rate increase.  It is a real pain to change it back again AND you get a huge monthly bill from ILD.

If you get one of these, immediately contact your phone provider and your States Attorney General’s Office. I also recommend you contact your state Better Business Bureau………  Be Aware - Be Diligent - Be Safe  —–  For more information, Please go to this link — http://www.krakau-inc.com/200212.htm — Sheriff Karl Dailey

When checking your credit card billing, you notice a charge for $99.99 (or some other amount you do not recognize). When you check it out, it turns out that you were signed up for a (very bad if it exists at all) personal ID theft protection program. You don’t remember signing up for it ???   Well, you can be “scammed” into it several different ways.  1: by a “Phishing” e-mail or  2: something that came in the mail that you “DID NOT OPT OUT OF” !!  Call your credit card company “IMMEDIATELY” and get the charge removed and notify your State Attorney General’s Office as soon as you can and report it. Also, keep good records for future reference —   Sheriff Karl J. Dailey