Scammers try to rip off the cops!

 

It may be a fine day in the neighborhood where you are, but an Oconee sheriff’s officer says the public should keep in the mind that every day some people get up and go to work as scammers.  They are trying to separate you from your money and often use the telephone to carry out their crimes.  These days hardly anyone is immune from attempts to make them victims.  Jimmy Watt, the Sheriff’s public information officer, says both he and a fellow officer have gotten calls recently that appear to be computer-generated, warning them if they don’t pay up the IRS will come and arrest them.   Keep in mind, Watt says, the IRS won’t call you and make threats.  If the government’s tax-collecting agency seeks an additional payment, you can expect a letter on official IRS stationery.  Watt believes that many of the attempts to scam by phone originate from outside the country.  He advises everyone to be cynical when a stranger calls, especially when your caller-ID shows an unfamiliar number.  Watt says there are other phone call scams to be alert for.  They include the ones that target the elderly and some times claim that a grand child has been arrested and there’s a need to send money.