Sheriff warns about scam artists
By Lee Williams
Published in News on December 26, 2006 1:46 PM
Wayne County Sheriff Carey Winders is urging county residents to be on the alert for scam artists trying to convince people to give out their personal financial information over the telephone.
Winders said someone has been targeting elderly people recently and trying to get them to divulge their bank account numbers. The caller has even tried to bully his intended victims, the sheriff said.
He said he received complaints from two elderly women in recent days, who were very "disturbed" by the calls.
"This has happened at least twice in the last two days," Winders said as the Christmas weekend began. "We are working on it, trying to figure out who it is. Don't give your account number to anyone who calls."
According to the complaints, a male caller asked for a bank account number. When the person on the other end of the line hesitated, the caller, who claimed to be an officer for a banking security firm, got irate and asked her, "Do you know who I am?" Later, he cursed the woman.
"He called one woman three times and we are trying to investigate them," Winders said. "He has been calling very nasty."
Residents can report incidents at the sheriff's office at 731-1481 during normal business hours or they can call 911.