Residents urged to beware of phone scams

Staff

Published Saturday, July 30, 2005

By Ann Austin, Tribune staff writer

Phone scams have been going on for decades but they continue to become more detrimental to those who fall for the ploys.

A recent scam was caught by Peggy and Mel Bangert, residents of Albert Lea. Peggy received a call from a woman who said she worked for a security company. She told Peggy that a check she had written was used to break into her account and they needed her checking account number so they could close it for her.

"She sounded so authoritative. She sounded urgent, like it had to get done right away or the checking account would be wiped out," Peggy said. So she started to get out her checkbook, but as soon as she had time to think, Peggy knew something was wrong.

"Then I started questioning her," she said. Peggy asked the woman to clarify the name of the company she worked for, but the woman continued to push, saying she just wanted to protect her.

"She kept insisting I get the check blank and give her the numbers on the bottom. She was really good," Peggy said.

But Peggy just didn't trust the woman on the phone.

At this point Peggy's husband, Mel, detected something was going on from Peggy's side of the conversation. He picked up the other line and the caller soon grew short with Peggy.

"She was curt and said if we didn't want her help, then OK, fine. And she hung up," she said.

The Bangerts knew not to give out their checking account number, or any piece of information, like Social Security number or driver's license numbers.

According to interim Chief of Police Dwaine Winkels, phone and Internet scams are an ongoing problem. "It's almost a daily basis in our area that somebody gets a call from one of those companies or someone gets an e-mail," he said.

Banks don't ask for checking account numbers because they already have a record of it, he said.

People who believe in the scam artists often have their checking accounts cleared out. If checking accounts aren't touched, the checking account number has been used to receive credit scores, Winkels said. The scam artists then use the victim's credit to purchase items.

It can be years before a person checks their credit score and finds what was once a

perfect record is ruined. Scam artists generally hit older people since they're not as likely to purchase a home or car and don't check their credit histories as often, Winkels said.

If a violation has occurred, people should report it to law enforcement, though in most cases the caller is from out of the area and the case is difficult to investigate.

To prevent fraud, when someone receives a call asking for personal information, they should tell the caller they will call them back, then contact their bank to see if it was a legitimate call.

It's also helpful to check credit reports every year, Winkels said. A free report can be received once a year by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com, or calling 1-877-322-8228.

(Contact Ann Austin at ann.austin@albertleatribune.com or 379-3435.)

---

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY?

---