IROQUOIS COUNTY, Ill. (WAND) – Multiple scams are targeting victims in Iroquois County, deputies said.
According to the Iroquois County Sheriff’s Office, one of the three phone scams involves a person claiming to be a relative – sometimes a grandchild – or a police officer or government official calling. The victim is told to not tell any other family about what happened to the relative and is asked to wire money through Western Union, MoneyGram or buy a gift card, such as an iTunes, CVS or Walmart card. The person is then told to call back once the transfer is done or give the scammer information from the back of the gift card.
In the second scam, deputies said callers claim to represent the DEA, IRS or Social Security Administration and tell the victim a problem happened with their tax return or social security, or claim the person’s identity was stolen. The person is told the give the caller their social security number, middle initial or date of birth, then send money through a wire transfer or gift card to avoid more “legal trouble”.
The final phone scam in the county involves a caller telling the victim a warrant is out for their arrest before asking them to wire money to remove the warrant.
People are asked to never transfer money or buy cards when they get these calls, because it is difficult for law enforcement to track down that money or identify the suspects. They are asked to call family members or police to learn more about the dangers of suspicious callers.
Finally, Iroquois County deputies reported the occurrence of internet purchase scams, in which something is sold online for far below market value and the victim is asked to give the seller money through a wire transfer. Deputies said the scammer also wants more money to ship through a shipping company and tells the victim the money will be returned once the item has been delivered. Official-looking emails are also sent to the victim.
When it comes to internet scams, deputies said people should contact this website for more information. They added that something probably is too good to be true if it seems to be.
