Consumer Alert: Phone Scams On the Rise

If you have ever had your wallet stolen, or your car broken into, then you know how lousy it feels to be targeted for theft. Unfortunately, the technology in your home can be employed toward these ends in many creative ways; phone scams, where fraudulent calls are made to your home to try and convince you to pay for a fake bill or fee, are some of the more common approaches. CUB has written in the past about phone scams – in March of last year we saw a slew of phony calls made to PGE customers demanding payment and threatening power shut-off. And in June of 2011 we reported on a variety of locally targeted scams, and offered tips for recognizing and avoiding them.

Recently phone scams in Oregon have been on the rise again. Here are three recently reported scams that have affected Oregon residents and small business owners, along with some updated tips on reporting and prevention.

The scam: Residents of Multnomah and Washington counties receive calls from a caller pretending to be from the sheriff’s office. The victim is told s/he has an outstanding arrest warrant and must pay a fine immediately to avoid arrest.
Reported in: February 2014
What gives it away: Sheriff’s offices do not contact individuals over the phone to collect court-ordered fines or warrants.
How to respond: If you receive a call that fits this description, report it to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s office tip line at 503-261-2847, or if you’re a Washington County resident, contact the Washington County sheriff’s office at 503-629-0111.

The scam: Utility customers in Lincoln County receive calls from someone claiming to be a customer service agent at Pacific Power. The caller demands payment either immediately over the phone, by calling a separate number, or even through a pre-paid credit card. They may claim that the payment is for overdue bills, or for a special meter installation.
Reported in: February 2014
What gives it away: Pacific Power is not in the practice of calling customers to demand payments. Even if you do receive a call from your utility provider, the customer service representative should always be able to furnish your account number.
How to respond: Pacific Power advises that if customers are unsure if they are speaking to an actual company representative, they should always feel free to request to call the person back at the published customer service number. Additionally, any suspected fraudulent calls should be reported to Pacific Power at 1-888-221-7070 (a toll-free number), as well as to your local police.

The scam: Oregon taxpayers receive calls from someone claiming that they owe money to the Internal Revenue Service or the Oregon Department of Revenue. Reports of these calls have ramped up recently with the approaching end of tax season. Victims are told they must send payment immediately through wire-transfer or a pre-paid credit card.
Reported in: April 2014
What gives it away: Neither the IRS nor the OR Department of Revenue will ever request payment through wire transfer or pre-paid card.
How to respond: If you receive one of these calls, you are encouraged to ask for the caller’s name and badge number. Contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 or the OR Department of Revenue at 1-800-356-4222 before remitting any payments. If you know that you don’t owe any money, contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484.

To recognize these and other scams, and avoid fraud:
• If you receive any sort of call in which the caller asks for immediate payment over the phone, this should be a red flag. Most companies and government agencies do not collect funds over the phone without first sending written notice of funds owed, either through the mail or via email.
• If you think the call might be legitimate, you can verify this by requesting the caller’s name and employee ID number. You can also request to speak to their supervisor. If they dodge the question or respond aggressively, this is a sure sign that the call is fraudulent.
• If you’ve asked these questions and you’re still unsure, request to call the person back at a published customer service number. They should be able to accommodate your request; if they claim they cannot, it’s probably a scam.
• Add your information to the national Do Not Call registry. This will block most sales calls and robo-calls. If your number is blocked and you continue to receive sales calls, report them at donotcall.gov. Any fraudulent calls involving demands of payment should be reported to your local police.

We’ll make an effort to keep you apprised of these and other scams. Stay safe out there!

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