Full Notification

The Shipshewana Police Department has received an increasing number of reports of attempted fraud and scams via telephone and internet. These include email spamming, phishing, credit card fraud, IRS fraud, and identity theft. Tax season presents criminals with another opportunity to scam and defraud trusting people. We have seen an increase in telephone calls to area residents from people pretending to be representatives from the IRS and/or FBI agents. These “Agents” use scare tactics to obtain money from their targets by making threats of arrests for unpaid taxes and fees allegedly owed. In several cases it has been reported that the callers speak with “a foreign accent” and are “very difficult to understand. They are said to demand that their targets send them money to cover the alleged unpaid taxes or fees using a wire-transfer service or by pre-loaded debit card. In cases where the target refused to give any personal information or send them money, they have threatened to have the person arrested for not complying.
According to the IRS, “the IRS will never call to demand immediate payment, or will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill; demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to questions or appeal the amount they say you owe; require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card; ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone or threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.”
Here are some crime prevention tips that can be helpful:
• Do not provide personal information to unknown callers.
• Contact the actual agencies or companies to verify that the call is legitimate.
• Beware when providing credit card information through unsolicited emails or phone calls.
• Research companies and websites to make sure they are reputable.
• Ensure websites are secure before submitting your credit card information.
• Shred credit card or bank statements before disposing of them.
• Be cautious of scams requiring you to provide personal information.
• Never provide our credit card number over the phone unless you make the call.
• Monitor your monthly credit card and bank statements
• Report unauthorized transactions to your bank or Credit Card Company as soon as possible.
• Review a copy of your credit report at least once a year.
• Avoid filling out forms in unsolicited email messages that ask for personal information.
• Always “log on” to the official websites, instead of “linking” to it from unsolicited emails.
• Contact the actual business that supposedly sent the email to verify its legitimacy.
• Delete spam emails without opening.
• Do not respond to spam emails.
• Never purchase anything advertised through an unsolicited emails.
• Contact your local police department with any questions and/or concerns.
Education is the best way to avoid falling victim to these scams. For more information you can contact us at 260-768-4310.