LEWIS COUNTY, MO. -- The Lewis County Sheriff's Office has recently received several reports of attempted telephone scams throughout the county. Concerned citizens have asked the Sheriff's Office to make everyone aware of these scam attempts. The telephone scams include fraudulent claims that the person has won unclaimed funds from Publisher's Clearinghouse. In the scam, the caller identified themselves as a bank president and an FBI agent in the attempt to legitimize the call seeking financial payment through Western Union.
A second scam involves a local resident who had an item posted on Craigslist for sale. A scammer appeared to make a legitimate payment through PayPal, but it was actually a fraud. The victim, believing the buyer had overpaid in order to pay for shipping, then sent over $1000 back to the buyer through Western Union. The deposit was never actually made.
A third scam attempt involved someone asking for Medicare information including the victim's personal banking information.
Another Lewis County resident called to report that someone attempted to identify themselves as a grandchild who was out of the country. The caller tried to convince the victim that they were in the Dominican Republic and needed money in order to get back to the United States. Sometimes they report they are with friends and have lost their belongings. Other times they report they have gotten arrested and need money to get out of jail.
Lewis County residents are reminded they should never give out any information over the phone unless they have directly contacted the company or person themselves. Contact your local bank or law enforcement agency before committing to any transaction if you are in any way concerned about it.
Information provided by Lewis County Sheriff's Office.
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