12/31/2020
Scam Interrupted! Don't Become a victim.
Scam interrupted,
Deputy Marty Legassey interrupted a scam, helping return a large amount of cash to the victim. The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a potential scam. The elderly victim received an anonymous call, indicating a family member had been involved in a traffic crash and subsequently was arrested. The caller demanded cash in order to help the family member get released from custody.
Unfortunately, this was not immediately reported or verified. When family members were made aware, they assisted in reaching out to law enforcement. Often these cases involve overseas or internet transactions, making it nearly impossible for law enforcement to take action.
In this incident, Deputy Legassey worked diligently with a carrier service to track down the mailed package and recovered, the funds sent. Because of the deputy’s efforts and responsiveness of the carrier service, this scam was interrupted. In order to protect the privacy of the victim, no other information about the incident will be released.
Please know, law enforcement will never call your home and request funds for bail, warrants or other legal matters. Please take time to verify any such claims. We appreciate our partnership with AARP, and will continue to bring awareness to scams occurring in our area.
Here are some basic tips to prevent being scammed:
• Shred all bills and financial documents.
• Stop entering sweepstakes.
• Stop giving out your Social Security number.
• Use a credit card whenever possible, not a debit card.
• Add your name to the Do Not Call Registry.
• Don’t answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize.
• Be prepared to hang up.
• Be wary of public Wi-Fi.
• Watch what you share on social media.
• Don’t reveal your location.
• Don’t fall prey to fear-based scams.