NEWBERRY, S.C. — The name on your caller ID may not be who is really on the line. The sheriff’s office in Newberry County warns that scammers can make a phone display almost any name they want.
Deputies say callers pretend to be from banks, card companies, lotteries, police departments or the IRS. When a call or email seems questionable, check with law enforcement before sharing anything.
The sheriff’s office admits it cannot warn people about every scam because there are too many versions. Its advice is to trust common sense and your gut, because an offer that seems too good to be true usually is.
Acting before money changes hands matters. Deputies say that once someone has been scammed, fixing a damaged credit history is hard and getting money back from a scammer is close to impossible. Anyone who has been taken should report it to police where they live. The sheriff’s office also posts an identity theft guide and an intake form online.
The state consumer affairs department runs an identity theft unit that tracks the scams South Carolinians report most often. Residents can report a scam to the agency, which says doing so might spare another person from the same scam. The unit also publishes monthly and annual scam reports.
Section: More Newberry SC crime news
Filed under: Newberry SC Crime News
