TAH SHERIFF VOLUME 6, ISSUE 2 Sheriff Slater 2nd QUARTER 2008 The Weber County Sheriff's Office by Sheriff Brad Slater There's information and support at our fingertips! Con artists are scamming us every day. When you are approached by telephone, in person, or through any media, take time to research the issue and think. Be firm and tell them you'll think about your decision to participate, then act. Research and discuss the issue before acting. Look for information on the web, call the Better Business Bureau or contact the Sheriffs Office if you are concerned. DON'T FALL FOR A CON Con men are extremely sharp at using greed, sympathy or fear to con their victims. High-pressure tactics are used to push victims into giving up money or personal information without considering the risks or consequences. A con artist will do just about anything to get people to say yes and give out their credit card or bank account numbers. It is said that some senior citizens become targets of con men because they are used to being so polite. It is seen as a generational thing where so many elderly have been brought up that way. Whatever the reason, they are less likely to hang up the phone and tend to believe people for their word and put their trust in them. Some of the most common con games are the "pigeon drop" and the "bank examiner." The "pigeon drop" is a con designed to get the person to give up a small chunk of money as reassurance for their trustworthiness or for the promise of getting a whole bunch of money back at a later time. This often plays into the second con which is the "bank examiner." The con man shows up as a policeman and says that he recovered the chunk of money that you'd lost, but found out that the money was counterfeit. He asks for help in catching the bank teller and needs you to withdraw more money from different bank locations to examine the money. Now you're out even more money. Here are some tips to remember to protect yourself against possible fraud and con games: Don't fall for any plan that seems too good to be trueit usually is! Be wary of free vacations, sweepstakes prizes, cures for diseases like cancer and arthritis, low-risk, high yield investments such as the "pigeon drop." * Never give out personal information over the phone such as credit card numbers, phone card and social security numbers. It is illegal for telemarketers to ask for any of these kinds of information to verify a prize or gift. Never let anyone push you into signing an insurance policy, or a sates contract of any kind Read all documents carefully and have them checked out by someone you can trust. * Be aware of anyone claiming to represent a consumer organization or government agency that is offering to recover lost money from fraudulent telemarketers for a fee. * Check out anything suspicious with your local taw enforcement agency, Better Business Bureau, or your local consumer protection office. You can also call the National Consumers League Fraud Information Center at (800) 8767060. 52