It pays to be skeptical when you answer the phone or open your mail these days as some new scams are being reported.
Sheriff Jake Sheriff said his office is receiving numerous calls about residents receiving calls from someone claiming to represent their credit card company.
“The callers pretend to be interested in helping you lower your interest rate on your credit card,” Sheriff said. “They can be very convincing.”
Eventually the caller asks for credit card information to verify the “lower rates.” If they get that information, they are able to steal from the victim’s card.
Another scam that increases this time of year is where the caller claims to be representing the IRS and requests banking information.
“The IRS will never call you seeking any banking information,” Sheriff said.
Mail Scam
Another scam being reported in Yazoo is coming through the mail.
One resident showed The Herald a letter she received that included a check for $3,750. The letter claims that the resident was the second prize winner in a sweepstakes, and the check is for processing fees.
The letter states that the recipient needs to contact the claims agent to “activate the check.”
This type of scam is common, and victims often fall for them because they want to believe the checks are real. When the victim calls the “representative” they are instructed to wire money for the “processing fees,” which is usually less than the check they have received.
Once the victim wires the money, they find out the check is fake.
Sheriff said that people need to keep in mind that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
“If you didn’t enter a sweepstakes, it’s a safe bet that you didn’t win one,” Sheriff said.
