Key to success is quick reports from victims
The Fannin County Sheriff’s Office has added a new weapon to its arsenal as it works to fight the scam artists that prey on area residents.
Investigations Sergeant J.K. Davenport talked about the Electronic Recovery and Access to Data (ERAD) computer system last week.
Davenport said a lot of scam artists call and tell people they have a warrant and they have to send money or they’ll be arrested, that they have won a prize but must sent money to claim it, or their credit card or bank account has been compromised.
In every scenario, the thief tells the victim to purchase gift cards, usually in the $200 to $500 range. Then the scam artist asks for the code on the back of the card and the victim’s money vanishes from the card and into the crook’s hands.
Here’s where ERAD comes into play.
Investigators and deputies all have card readers. Once the gift card is scanned, the information from it is loaded into the ERAD system. If any or all of the money is left on the card, the sheriff’s office can stop it from being transferred and it can be returned to the victim.
The key for law enforcement to successfully recover some or all of the money is for the victim to act quickly. “The quicker you act, the greater the chance we can recoup some of the loss,” Davenport said.
He said what stands in the way is that victims often feel embarrassed that someone has swindled them. They hesitate to report the crime.
“There is no reason to be embarrassed,” Davenport said. “These swindlers have a lot of practice and can be very convincing.”
When they use the warrant scam, for instance, they are even able to duplicate the sheriff’s office phone number as the originating number. “It shows up on the victim’s caller ID,” Davenport said.
“You’ll never be judged when you come to the sheriff’s office. We’re here to help you. And if you don’t want to come to us, call and a deputy will come to you,” Davenport said.
Davenport also said that no deputy or other law enforcement officer is going to call and say you have a warrant, much less ask for money to make it go away. “If you have a warrant, you’ll hear a knock at your door,” he said.
Speaking of the other, prevalent scams, he said, “You’re not going to win something when you don’t enter a contest, and banks and credit card companies won’t ask for your information because they already have it.”
“The best defense against being the victim of a scam is simple, hang up,” Davenport said.