Beware Of Phone Scams,
Oneonta Police Advising
ONEONTA – The Oneonta Police Department is warning residents of “numerous phone scams” reported locally.
They include:
• A caller purportedly from the Social Security Office advises you your Social Security number has been compromised. You are then asked for personal information, including bank information, and – eventually – to send money.
• A caller says he or she is a lawyer and a relative of yours has been arrested and needs bail money.
• A caller poses as someone’s relative, who sounds different because of a cold, and asks for bail money.
OPD recommends the following response:
• Resist the urge to act immediately, no matter how dramatic the story, and do what you can to verify a caller’s identity. (Remember phone numbers can be spoofed so do not count on that as verification of a caller’s identity.)
• Do not send cash, gift cards or money transfers.
• Never give out personal or banking information.
• If something seems suspicious or you feel you have been a victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement agency.
The calls are increasing. I got one yesterday from “Social Security” saying that my SS number was going to be suspended. Obviously just a scam, and I hung up. With all the information we are being given about these scams, it’s hard to believe people still fall for them. And I’m probably a prime target, being an octogenarian! With all the technology out there, isn’t there some way to backtrack and find these crooks?
I mess with them. There’s nothing like hearing someone scream obscenities in a foreign accent before slamming down their phone to bring a bit of sunshine into a cold, gray winter day.