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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, March 18, 2005, 09:00 a.m. SUBJECT: Potential Consumer Scam Alert TEXT: Sutter County Sheriff’s Deputies were informed of a potential consumer scam being perpetrated in the Sutter County area. The scam is initiated when residents receive a telephone call informing them that they are eligible to receive a “government grant”, often allegedly worth thousands of dollars. The only requirement asked of the consumer is an upfront fee of $199-$250.00. During the subsequent conversation, the consumer is then asked to provide personal identifiers that include full name, date of birth, social security number and bank account information. This is done to allow direct deposit of the grant. In the Sutter County case, the consumer received the telephone call informing them of the award. A request was then made for the consumer to provide a processing fee of $199. When asked for their personal banking information the consumer discontinued the conversation. This was the first reported case this year in Sutter County of this type however; the department frequently receives complaints of lottery type scams or email scams involving out of country banking. The community is encouraged to report these incidents to their local law enforcement agency. Here are some helpful hints when receiving these types of scam telephone calls:
CONTACT PERSON AND TELEPHONE NUMBER: Bill Grove, Undersheriff 530-822-7307 |