Sheriff Reports Scams

DAYTON - The Columbia Coun­ty Sheriff's Office reported this week that it has received 45 calls since January reporting fraudulent tele­phone calls, emails, postal mail and other scams.

"We all need to be aware of the scams that are out there and how to protect ourselves," said Sheriff Rocky Miller in a press release.

According to Miller, a variety of methods are being used to try to get money out of local residents. They include emails requesting financial information, telephone calls where the caller "fishes" for information about a resident, and even calls in which the caller falsely claims to be a relative needing money.

"Never give out your banking numbers, passwords or other per­sonal information over email or the phone," Miller said. "If your bank is updating your account, they will con­tact you directly, usually via mail."

Two scams that have been re­ported in Columbia County recently target seniors in particular. Callers have identified themselves as repre­sentatives of a medical alert monitor­ing company or the National Senior Assistance Program. These calls are often automated and request the re­cipient to press certain buttons to ac­cept or deny a "free" offer. The Better Business Bureau reports that they are fraudulent, Miller says.