INCREASE IN SCAM ACTIVITY

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office has seen a significant increase in scam calls targeting citizens in Beltrami County. Many of these scam calls are being conducted over the telephone with sophisticated tactics to impersonate a legitimate authority. These scammers represent themselves as the IRS, utility companies and local law enforcement agencies. Some of the tactics used by these scammers include demanding payment for back taxes, utility bills and warrants for arrest.

Despite our best efforts, many of these scam calls are difficult to investigate and more frequently than not go unsolved. Several of these scam calls appear to be coming from local phone numbers through a manipulation technique known as spoofing. Spoofing is the practice of using technology to populate a caller ID display with an identifiable number when in reality the call could be coming from anywhere in the world.

Our agency is well aware of these scams. Unless you have provided the scammer with personal information, you do not need to report it to our agency. The best course of action is to discontinue the phone conversation immediately. Most entities will have their correspondence through traditional mail. If you receive one of these scam calls request written correspondence, but do not provide them with your address.

There are a number of online resources available to enhance our citizen’s resiliency to scams. Please visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website at http://www.FTC.gov for additional information.

-Chief Deputy Ernie Beitel

Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office