Beware of Scam Calls

Mountain communities report an increase in calls from scammers posing as lawyers, bondsman and jailers asking for money to release a family member ‘in trouble,’ reports a recent article in The Aspen Times.

Scammers also pose as local law enforcement agencies to inform the callers that a warrant has been issued for their arrest. The common theme among these scam calls: all will ask for immediate payment of funds.

If you do receive a phone call from scammers indicating they are from a local law enforcement agency, please notify the local law enforcement agency. A police officer will never contact you directly to indicate an arrest warrant has issued. A police officer will never ask you to make payment over the phone or through a third party.

Another common scam is from a caller pretending to be a representative from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This scam tends to peak around tax season. A scammer will call and tell you that you have committed fraud on your taxes and that an arrest warrant will issue unless – you guessed it – you agree to submit immediate payment.

While most people are aware of these types of common scams, scammers increasingly get craftier to find out personal information about you to make their calls sound legitimate. For example, scammers may look through public information to target people with criminal records in smaller communities. They may call using a local area code number. The easiest way to protect yourself is to never provide sensitive information to an unknown person over the phone.

While mountain communities currently report an increase in telephone scams, undoubtedly it is still important to beware of scams over any methods of communication. Email scams are still pervasive and common. Many email scams will appear to come from trusted sources and may ask you to confirm your password. Other common scams include various methods to try to get financial information. For example, you may be informed that you have over-paid and are due a refund. Ensure you use strong passwords for all online accounts and change your passwords frequently.

If you are unsure whether or not you have received a legitimate contact, the criminal defense attorneys at Kalamaya | Goscha can find out within minutes whether there is an active warrant for your arrest. We work closely with the District Attorney’s Offices and our local law enforcement agencies to ensure we receive information as soon as it is available.