Part 2: Solutions
A variety of phone, e-mail and text scams continue to be a rampant problem in Logan County and elsewhere around the country, and only seem to increase as criminals figure out new ways to separate people from their money.
It’s such a widespread problem that local banks and police departments have staff who focus on investigating, stopping and even preventing these incidents.
With this in mind, Citizens Federal Savings and Loan of Bellefontaine joined with three law enforcement offices and one IT specialist to give a limited-audience presentation Wednesday night on recognizing and avoiding scams.
Fortunately, there are ways to protect you and your loved ones. It starts with knowing you’re not alone. There’s no reason to be embarrassed about telling others.
“Sometimes you can’t wrap your mind around what happened to you. They’re that good,” Bellefontaine Police Department Chief Brandon Standley said. “They’ve damaged our peace and safety.”
But you can help by speaking out. The police also recommend you slow down. Ask questions. Be suspicious and vigilant. And never answer phone numbers you don’t recognize. In the case of the grandparents scam, don’t promise anything or give out any information. Hang up and call your son, your daughter or even your grandchild. If you had any doubt before, that will set things straight.
Another presenter Wednesday night, Tom Watson, a sergeant with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office, has been investigating area scam crimes for some time. He worked a large case for three years, which led to the arrest of 22 people, including one of the largest ID thieves this side of the Mississippi.
Watson stated being proactive is imperative. “Get ahead of it,” he said. For instance, he added, “If you’re traveling, use a credit card, not a debit.” Even better, take a prepaid credit card.
He also suggested checking the phone history of elderly loved ones in assisted living, if possible. It lets you see where they’re being targeted, which will probably shock you.
Robert Reynolds, IT director at Mary Rutan Hospital, emphasized the importance of strong, complex passwords. The more complicated the password — using lower- and uppercase letters, numbers, symbols, uncommon words — the longer it takes someone to hack your account.
It’s also good to learn how to recognize a scam right away. E-mails are especially easy. The address will have misspellings and obvious errors, e.g. Amazonn with two n’s; Visa.c0m, with a zero instead of the “o.” If it includes a long URL with random letters, that indicates a scam as well. Reynolds added another common red flag is a statement of urgency.
With phone calls, it’s helpful to remember no legitimate company will ask for your password or your account information. Ever.
Barb Harpst, with Citizens Federal, hosted Wednesday’s event. She suggested using your debit card sparingly and avoiding online purchases as much as possible. “Every day we try to stay ahead of scams,” she said. “Debit cards are open to so much fraud.”
In fact, the bank has a department watching accounts constantly to flag any suspicious activity. If they see something, they’ll call the client. If the client doesn’t respond, they shut off the card.
“If you ever have a doubt, don’t. Always verify,” Salyer said. “We deal with it so much, it breaks our hearts. Some of this is irreversible.”
If you’ve been a victim of a scam, contact the Bellefontaine Police Department or Logan County Sheriff’s Office. You should also get in touch with your bank right away.
Don’t let them frighten you into silence. Exposing these crimes is the best way to fight back.