Sheriff Hawkins addresses ongoing issues with scams in the area
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – It may be a “new” year, but area law enforcement is still dealing with some “old” problems.
Lowndes County Sheriff Eddie Hawkins gave area business and community leaders a quick rundown of some of the many scams making the rounds.
Nationwide, scams cost victims $3.6 billion last year.
Most of the scammers are fishing for money, personal information, or both.
Hawkins says it’s important that you don’t give out any personal information to unsolicited callers.
He said many of the targets of these crimes end up being re-victimized.
“Here’s the thing; if you fall for a scam, and you give them the information, now your name goes on a list. And, that list is being sold to a whole different set of scammers, who will contact you next week and try to get more money out of you,” said Hawkins.
Sheriff Hawkins said if you believe that you have been a victim of a scam, call his office as soon as possible, so they can begin the process of tracing the scammers and possibly recovering some of the money.
