INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales is warning Hoosiers to stay alert for government impersonation scams targeting residents through email, text, phone, and social media.
According to information shared by the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office, they have been receiving reports of residents receiving hoax phone calls from scammers pretending to be employees of La Porte County Sheriff’s Office.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana is urging all residents to report all fraud incidents related to COVID-19.
Continue readingThe panic of residents surrounding a health threat can lead to attempts by scammers to swindle vulnerable residents out of money.
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Recently, the Indiana State Police Bremen Post has been contacted on an almost daily basis by concerned citizens that have almost become victims of scams or individuals who had loved ones that were scammed.
In response to the frequent calls, ISP Bremen Post Public Information Officer Ted Bohner issued a press release stating that is important for everyone to talk to their family about these phone scams and to have a plan in place if a scammer calls you or someone you love.
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Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase is warning residents to be aware of potential scammers looking to take advantage of people during flood recovery.
Last Friday, the surveyor’s office received a call from an individual reporting that two men in a U-Haul truck drove up to his residence and told him they were from the county surveyor’s office.
They reportedly said they were replacing a culvert nearby and told the resident he needed to write them a check since it was on his property. Continue reading
The Indiana State Police are warning residents to be weary of people calling and posing as the IRS. A number of citizens in the northern Indiana have reported calls from individuals claiming to be an IRS representative, demanding money and threatening legal action. As the police work to stop the perpetration of these false calls, the IRS has provided a few tips to ensure your safety. Continue reading
A woman in North Judson recently reported to Police that she received some suspicious text messages from a place claiming to be the federal court asking for money to keep her out of jail. After looking into the legitimacy of the claims she deciphered it was a scam. Other scams have also been reported, one being a claim that the recipient had won a monetary prize but needed to send cash in order to obtain the money. The other was someone claiming to be from the IRS threatening to put the person in jail due to back taxes owed in the amount of over $5,000. Do not respond to these or any thing similar, they are scams! Continue reading
Officers from the North Judson Police Department warn residents that scams are making the rounds.
Several complaints have been made about a caller posing as a Social Security or an IRS worker looking for information and requesting account numbers. Police have also received information that people are posing as other county officers are calling residents asking for bail money for a loved one. Other calls have been reported involving a police detective looking for information about a warrant. If the resident puts up bail money immediately, then the arrest warrant would not be carried out.
Especially around the holidays, Hoosiers are encouraged to think of the less fortunate and give what they can to charitable organizations. The Better Business Bureau serving central Indiana proposes that people look at the big picture when choosing a charity.
Several local residents have been getting phone calls that their grandson or granddaughter is in jail and they need bail money but Starke County Sheriff Oscar Cowen said this is a scam.
The caller will tell the victim that the person is in jail and explains ways to send money to get them out of jail. Cowen warns that this is a way to scam you out of money and to not give out any personal information.
There are scammers using technology to impersonate phone numbers of local businesses that show up on Caller ID. These are robo calls and the scammers use familiar looking numbers in hopes you will answer the call and take your money.
They purchase a list of phone numbers and use spoofing technology to trick callers into picking up the phone. They sometimes use your phone number because it is not blocked.
Unfortunately those struggling financially can be the most vulnerable to scams. The federal government as well as Indiana general attorney,Greg Zoeller, took action against schemers who have taken more than $14,000 from unsuspecting homeowners. On Thursday, Zoeller filed lawsuits against seven companies running fraudulent mortgage rescue or relief schemes.
