Several telephone scams are bouncing around the area. One of those scams, when a person is called and the caller states that a family member is in jail or was involved in a traffic accident and was taken to jail. The person making the call states they are from the jail or law office and that if an amount of money is sent to them, the family member will be released with no charges.
This is a scam, especially if the person requests the money to be sent via Western Union or using a cash card, by giving the caller the numbers off the cards.
If you receive one of these calls, you can always ask for the name of detention center and a call back number to verify if the family member is in jail. More than likely it is a scam call.
Additionally, other scams occur each day. With tax season approaching, scammers will be calling about late taxes or tax payments. Saline County Central Dispatch receives several calls a day from the public about scam calls, as well as receiving these calls into our center as well. The calls are generated often out of the USA and with Voice Over the Internet Phones, which makes tracing these calls virtually impossible. A good rule of thumb is: If you get a call from a number you do not recognize, do not answer it. Do not call the number back as it may encourage them to call you again or you could be billed for the call.
Another scam that we have heard about is one, where the scammer asks at the start of the call “Can you hear me ok,?” By saying yes, they will charge you or use your yes as a statement that you want to purchase whatever they are selling. Be very cautious, when talking to someone you don’t recognize.
As always if it sounds to good to be true it is a scam, but never give out personal information, or send them money or credit card numbers over the phone. Finally, if you feel it is a scam, just hangup.
