Carson City sheriff says wave of telephone scammers targeting locals and businesses
An increase this month in telephone scammers targeting locals and businesses has prompted Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong to issue a warning to all citizens not to be taken in by the thieves.
"Whether they say they're from NV Energy, the gas company, the IRS or other utilities, don't be fooled. Don't fall prey to these scammers," said Furlong.
The sheriff's office is receiving a heavy volume of reports recently from area residents who report having received telephone calls threatening that they will turn off their utilities. While many citizens recognize scam calls and quickly hang up, others have been vulnerable, giving out personal information and in some cases sending money because they feel threatened, said Furlong.
In many cases, scammers will sometimes use telephone numbers with caller IDs suggesting local telephone numbers. Others caller ID message will show it is coming from a private number. In either case, whenever someone calls threatening to prosecute, or say a family member is in jail and needs money to avoid being prosecuted or if the caller says they are going to shut off utilities, these are scam calls, said Furlong.
"People who have read about scammers warnings in the media should share the information with family members and others who may not have seen them," he said.