New phone scam targets Grant County residents
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 11 months AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | December 29, 2017 2:00 AM
EPHRATA — Grant County residents are being warned about a new telephone fraud scam using a real company and real Grant County District Court case numbers.
The callers claim to be representing LifeLock, a genuine computer security company, said Sharon Palmerton, public information officer for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. The callers claim they are trying to collect an overdue bill. “The calls sound legitimate as the callers even provide real Grant County District Court case numbers that, upon verification from the district court, do match a former case, just not the resident (the target of the attempted scam).”
The district court case numbers are public record, Palmerton said.
However, “according to a representative at LifeLock, they do not conduct phone collections of any kind,” Palmerton wrote. “The spokesperson also added the only outbound calls they make are to existing members about their membership.”
“Be very wary of anyone calling and demanding money,” said Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones. Some of the potential targets called district court officials “directly to inquire about these ‘cases against them’ and found out they weren’t true. Scammers will stop at nothing to separate you from your money.”
People who want more information can contact the sheriff’s office, 509-754-2011, ext. 3101.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].
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