Monday, 12 November 2007 00:52

Sheriff Martin Ryan Warns Local Citizens of Fraud

And in other Amador County Sheriff news Sheriff Martin A. Ryan has issued a public service announcement warning all Amador County Citizens against fraud. He wishes to inform the public of a telephone scam which has again come to the attention of law enforcement.  To date, the Sherriff’s office has not received reports of this scam being perpetrated within Amador County, but the Sherriff wants to be sure that local residents are aware of the possible danger.  The scam involves a suspect contacting a citizen via telephone.  The suspect identifies himself/herself as a jury coordinator for the local court and states that the court is inquiring why the citizen did not appear for jury duty as required by law. 

When the citizen disputes being noticed to appear, the suspect asks for specific information including the citizen’s date of birth and social security number for verification.  The caller may go as far as requesting a credit card number to cover a small fine for the citizen’s failure to attend jury duty and to cancel the arrest warrant that had been issued.  Sherriff Ryan warns that with this information the suspect can commit various forms of theft and fraud. For more information related to this scam please refer to the Federal Bureau of Investigations website at the web address on your screen…   http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm

Sheriff Ryan reminds citizens to take the necessary measures to protect your personal identification information and never share your personal information with any unverified sources.  The Sheriff also reminds everyone to frequently review your credit reports and closely review each financial statement you receive.  Should you become aware of an unauthorized transaction immediately notify your local law enforcement agency and your credit providers. (end)am