If it’s too good to be true ... it’s not

Another scam surfaced last week.

According to both the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office and Fallon Police Department, numerous reports indicate a caller is identifying himself with the CCSO and is either asking or demanding money.

So far, the CCSO said no one has fallen for this latest scam.

Furthermore, if people owe money, they will either receive a certified letter or a summons from a CCSO deputy to appear in court.

One of the most common scams that occurs, and it has happened her in Churchill County, is when a man or woman representing a foreign country’s government calls an unsuspecting victim and requests money to bail out of jail a family member. A Fallon woman fell victim in March to such a con, and it cost her $1,500.

The Fallon woman was duped when a man called from Mexico, identified himself from an embassy and passed the phone to an alleged police sergeant who also gave the woman a badge number and case number. He said her grandson had been arrested. She questioned the man about the offense and why her grandson was in Mexico.

Because the information appeared real, the woman wired the money through Western Union and phoned the sergeant back with a control order number. That number, according to Fallon Police, allows the recipient to claim the funds with no identification. Before unsuspecting victims follow through, the FPD advises the “victim” to contact the U.S. Consulate in that country, which will track down whether an individual has been arrested or suffered a severe injury and report back.

Another scam is notifying recipients that they have won a prize. People will be sent an email informing they won a lottery, prize money or an inheritance.

As a result, the scammer will ask the recipient to pay taxes or fees to claim the prize. Never send money or fees to claim a prize or give away bank account or credit card information.

The Nevada Attorney General has also offered a few more tips to keep consumers safe:

Be wary of calls or email “phishing” scams related to the breach that may appear to offer protection but are really trying to get personal information from you such as your social security number.

Obtain a copy of your credit report and look for unauthorized activity in that report as well.

As a precautionary measure, consider placing a free fraud alert on your credit report by calling one of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies.

When in doubt, do not give the person on the other line any financial or background information and report the incident immediately to law enforcement like the Fallon man did with the latest scam.

Weekly editorials are written by the LVN Editorial Board.