The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG – It’s December again; the time of year for giving – and taking. The Walla Walla Police Department recently issued a press release about an increase in reports of scams hitting area residents.

In one scam, residents receive a physical letter in the mail from an “administrative manager” of a financial institute in Barcelona. The letter states that millions of dollars are unclaimed and can be split with the letter recipient, through a “confidential” process. The recipient is told not to discuss the letter with anyone but the sender, who they are to contact via fax or phone.

In another scam callers tell people they owe money to the IRS and will be arrested if they don’t pay. They require payment through prepaid debit cards or wire transfers. Attempting to scare people into action is a typical scam tactic.

In a similar scam, Waitsburg resident Karen Gleason recently received a call from an “attorney” back east who had her private information including her date of birth, employer, and social security number.

Gleason was told she had until the end of the day to pay a debt or be arrested for two criminal offenses.

When Gleason requested the name and contact of the law firm and said she would contact her attorney, the caller became foul-mouthed and hung up.

Gleason did the right thing by immediately reporting the call to authorities.

Police suggest entering the phone number of the caller into a search engine to learn more about the caller. Spammers also use caller ID spoofing to make it look like the number is a legitmate IRS agency or local number and they may use the victim’s name, address, or other information to make the call sound official, as they did in Gleason’s case.

It is important to know that the IRS will not contact to demand immediate payment, and will always send a letter first. You also always have the right to question and appeal the amount they say you owe. They will also never request a credit card number over the phone, threaten to bring in the police, or require payment in a certain way.

Other common frauds include portraying a family member or grandchild in need of funds and calls advising the victim, especially the elderly, that they have been awarded a monetary prize and need to send funds to claim their winnings.

Judi Pilcher, branch manager of Dayton’s Washington Federal Bank, speaks regularly on elder abuse at the Dayton Senior Center and repeatedly warns against giving out personal information over the phone, or via email or text unless you have initiated the call, even if the call or email states they are trying to “update information.”

“I know it’s restrictive but they need to call the institution directly, instead,” she told The Times in a previous interview. She also reminds clients that if something seems to good to be true, it probably is.

Individuals can check their credit report annually at http://www.annualcreditreport.com and can determine if charities are legitimate at http://www.charitywatch.org. If you think you have been a victim of attempted fraud, call the police to let them know.

“Be very careful, as I have done all my shopping online and also refinanced. Somehow they got all my infor. I hope this helps others from becoming a victim,” said Gleason in a Facebook post about her scam call.