MONROE, La. (KNOE) – Last year, consumers lost more than 5 billion dollars due to telephone scams. Law enforcement officers say they are now targeting sex offenders in Monroe, and they’re pretending to be the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Officials say if a government agency calls and says you have to pay past due fines, with a Green Dot Cash Card, Money Gram, or Western Union, that’s the first sign of a scam.
“The last numbers I saw in 2021 were over 5 billion dollars, that the U.S citizens in this country were scammed for on social media, telephone, and that’s combined all over. As soon as you give them the information, just about as quickly as you hang the phone up, that money is gone out of the account and just about never recovered,” said Glenn Springfield, OPSO Public Information Officer.
The Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Glenn Springfield says, when a balance is past due, the person will receive a notice in the mail. He says they will not call to ask for a credit card, banking, or personal information over the phone. Officials at the Better Business Bureau say scammers are becoming clever.
“They will target you for just about anything. So, whether it’s your Amazon account, Dish, or some other credit card; just remember that sweepstake scams, romance scams, grant scams, educational loan exemption, and those types of things are high on the list,” said Better Business Bureau Regional Director Jo Ann Deal.
Springfield…
