Teresa Pearson
RR Press Publisher


The holiday season
is upon us and this is
the time that scams
are at an all time high.
Scams have been had
in Rogue River this
year already. As the
holiday season progresses,
more people
are going to get hit
with many different
kinds of scams and
they will be cunning.
Scammers are getting
better and better at
what they do. The
ideas they come up
with are either more
technical or inventive
depending on how you
look at it. No one is
safe. You can think
that you are smarter
then they are or that
you are immune to the
scammer disease, but
you are not. Even the
smartest of the
smartest can, and will
get a call or an e-mail
with a scammer at the
other end doing his/her
best to get your
money. It's always the
unknowing that get hit
the hardest and if you
are hit with any scam
you will pay. Money in
the thousands can
come out of your pocket
to pay for a scam. If
you end up taking
money out of your
account with nothing to
back it up, you may
end up paying a huge
price in the end...paying
the bank back. If
you happen to be selling
something or buying
something and the
other person sends
you a check for more
then the amount, then
asks you to deposit the
check, keep your
amount and send them
back the rest in a certified
check...this is a
scam. Many people
over the years have
been taken with this
scam. Be aware and
be safe. Don't get
excited about something
that may be too
good to be true, it
probably is.
GrANdPArENT
PHoNE SCAM oN
THE riSE
Attorney General
John Kroger is warning
Oregon families about
scammers who pose
as grandchildren
claiming to be in trouble
and needing
money immediately.
The Oregon Department
of Justice's
Consumer Protection
Hotline has received
several recent calls
about the "emergency
scam," also known as
the "grandparent
scam." The scam targets
grandparents with
fake stories about family
members stranded
in Canada in urgent
need of money. The
emergency scam usually
goes something
like this:
"Hi grandma, it's
me, your favorite
grandkid! I am up in
Canada right now with
my good friend John.
Please don't tell Mom
and Dad, but I had an
accident. John and I
are in a little trouble
and need your help.
We hit a car and needed
to hire an attorney.
Can you please wire
me $4,700 so I can
pay my attorney and
come home? Please
don't tell Mom and
Dad! I promise to pay
you back when I get
home!"
There are several
red flags that indicate
a scammer is at work.
Be wary of a caller
who:(1) Requests that
money be wired in a
very short time frame;
(2) Claims to be stuck
in a foreign country;
(3) Insists on secrecy;
and/or (4) Gets some
personal details
wrong.
Scammers prey on
the emotions of grandparents
wanting to
help their grandchildren.
This is a despicable
scam, largely
conducted by con
artists in Canada.
Before wiring money,
grand-parents should
independently call and
confirm the whereabouts
of their family
members. Be highly
skeptical of any phone
request for money
wires. Ask personal
questions to the callers
to confirm their identity,
about such things
as schools attended,
pet names, presents
given or received, or
names of other family
members.
Oregonians who
think they have been a
victim of the "grandparent
scam" should
call the Oregon
Attorney General
Consumer Hotline at
1 - 8 7 7 - 8 7 7 - 9 3 9 2
(www.doj.state.
or.us) and the Federal
Trade Commission at
1 - 8 0 0 - F TC-HE L P
(www.ftc.gov).