If you receive a phone call from a number you don't know, there's a good chance it's from a scam artist.
The DeWitt County Sheriff's office unveiled a scam hotline recently and Sheriff Jered Shofner says it has been a heavily utilized tool. He explains scam artists continue to target local residents with incessant persistence.
Sheriff Shofner says the number one rule with scams is if it is too good to be true, it probably isn't. He also says if you question the legitimacy of a phone call, you should disconnect right away.
The latest scam trend local authorities are seeing involves the social network site, Facebook. Sheriff Shofner says scam artists will lure people in with a simple post on Facebook with a catchy headline or post.
Even though scams may only be successful a small percentage of the time, they continue to crop up because of that small success rate. According to Sheriff Shofner, it is often unlikely when a person becomes a victim the money they transfer or send is unlikely to be recovered.
Sheriff Shofner says for many that fall victim to a scam, the feeling of embarrassment comes right to the top. He says for those in care of an older person, who is often the target of scam artists, the best defense is education.
Sheriff Shofner is convinced once you either become a victim of a scam or you play along with that person on the other line for "the fun of it", the likelihood you will be targeted again greatly increases.
The phone number for the DeWitt County Sheriff's Office Scam hotine is 217-985-7867.
