Be aware that the following email was received by someone working up in South Dakota.  It is likely to be in circulation in the area.  If anyone receives this type of email do not respond to it.  You may contact your local law enforcement agency for any questions.  There is a viewable link below of the email received.  Further information on the “pay up or die” scam may be obtained from http://www.scamorama/killer.html Sergeant J. Wallage

LINK - Death Threats Email

SCAMMERS have no shame and don’t care who they hurt. With that in mind, a new twist has been added to their schemes….. RELAY FOR LIFE is a communications system designed to allow people who can not speak or hear to contact others by phone for personal and business reasons. It is done through a third party interpreter. THE BAD GUYS are using this system so there is no direct contact between them and their victims and to add some sympathetic legitimacy to their scam. You receive a call from Relay For Life and the scammer will attempt any one of a dozen scams.  So Please Be Aware—- RELAY FOR LIFE is a legitimate organization, the bad guys are just abusing it. If you feel that you have been scammed through Relay for Life, please contact them and let them know…. Remember - Be Smart-Be Careful-Be Safe…. Sheriff Karl Dailey

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