Beware of scammers in Henderson County

Sheriff’s Office press release

Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt and all of his deputies have become increasingly alarmed about calls that are coming into residents of Henderson County. The calls are “SCAMS” and are happening to what Sheriff Nutt refers to as “Good, Honest folks.”

The first scam was in the Brownsboro area. A local resident received a phone call from an untraceable 1-800 number, the person on the other end of the phone reportedly “sounded like law enforcement” and told the Brownsboro resident that they were going to be extradited to the state of California for the crime of Identity Theft. The Henderson County resident was quick to tell the “officer” that he had never been in California and made a wise decision and hung up the phone and did not carry on a conversation with the scammer. This call was reported to Chief Deputy Dan Parker immediately.

The second scam comes to us from the Cedar Creek Lake side of Henderson County. A Henderson County resident received a call from her “grandson.” The scammer began the call by just saying “grandma?” to which the receiver of the call replied “is this??” and used her grandsons name. At this point the scammer had the loved one’s name and was able to portray himself as the grandson. The scammer proceeded to talk to “Grandma” and tell her that he was in a foreign country and was in trouble and in jail. “Grandma,” being gravely concerned about her grandson, agreed to send a large amount of bail money to ensure her grandson’s release. The unsuspecting Henderson County resident sent cash money. The next phone call from the scammer “grandson” explained the need for more money, and again a large amount of cash money was sent. The follow-up call said that the scammer “grandson was now ill and needed surgery…could Granny send more money, and more cash was sent….but then the Henderson County Sheriff’s office was contacted and, thankfully, some (not all) of the money has been recovered.

Speaking with Athens Police Department Chief Buddy Hill on what scams they are seeing, Hill told of this scam: Not long ago he got a call from an Athens resident that said that he had just received a call about a luxury car that the Athens resident had won. The Athens resident was immediately suspicious of this call because he had not signed up for a contest to win a car. The scammer on the other end of the phone said that the Athens resident only needed to pay the taxes on the car that was now being driven from the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport to Athens Texas. The scammer said the easiest way for the Athens resident to pay the taxes and show good faith to the contest was him to go to his local Walmart store and load gift card with the taxes due and give them a call back with the card number and the access number on the back of the card. Chief Hill said that he was with the Athens resident as the scammer called several times, sometimes being nice, sometimes being horribly rude, but each time reminding the Athens resident that his brand new luxury car was on its way to Athens. After many calls back and forth, the phone was finally handed to Chief Hill, who introduced himself to the caller and told him that he had been monitoring all of the phone conversations. It is reported that no fancy luxury car showed up in Athens that day.

These are just three instances of scams that have happened in Henderson County recently. The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, along with all the local police departments wants to urge all Henderson County Citizens to not fall victim to these scammers.

Here are a few tips for you to use:

• If someone wants you to pay to get yourself out of trouble with the law i.e. “you are going to extradited” or even telling you that you have been Jury summons but needs your Social Security number so they can look it up…this is a scam.
• If a call comes in from a “family member” and they say they are in trouble and need money, call the family member back on a number you know to be their contact number (not what is given to you over the phone) or call another family member and confirm the emergency is a real emergency. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER send cash money and always ask your banker or local law enforcement agency if you are doing the right thing.
• If you get mail or a phone call about a prize or large inheritance, but you are asked to provide “good faith” or “tax” money up front…this is a scam.
• Do not give personal information over the telephone. Only if you have made the call to a known business is it OK, but even then; be careful!
• Watch your bank account and credit billing statements carefully each month for unauthorized activity (even if it is a small amount…next month it could be a larger sum)
• If you make online purchases, do this with a credit card, not a debit card. If your information is hacked…this is a streamline to your checking account.
• Check your credit…there are three credit agencies that you need to check: Equifax, Trans Union & Experian. For a free annual report go to: www.annualcreditreport.com

If you or someone you know has fallen victim to a scammer, The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office urges you to contact your local law enforcement agency and make a report.

There is no shame in falling victim to a scammer. The bottom line? The scammer is a Con Artist, and their art is making you feel CONfident in them.