Full Notification

COMMUNITY ALERT CITY of SAN MATEO POLICE DEPARTMENT

200 Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403

www.cityofsanmateo.org

Protect Yourself From The Newest Phone Scams – Here's the Latest:

Your San Mateo Police Department would again like to inform you of the latest trends in phone scams. Most recently we continue to receive reports of persons claiming to be officials from the IRS and demanding payment for back taxes from would-be victims. Thankfully the word is out and we are seeing less people in our community suffer a monetary loss at the hands of these criminals. But as is almost always the case, a new scam has arrived with callers now calling and claiming to be agents with the Department of the Treasury, in one case giving the name, “Agent Mason.” These callers are claiming to either be collecting past due fines or in some cases, claiming the victim is due to be awarded monies from the Department of Treasury and then asking the would-be victim for personal information in order to send them the award. As always, your SMPD Officers echo to you our best advice in nearly every case of fraud: Trust your instincts! When it sounds suspicious, it usually is! NEVER give personal information over the phone to someone CALLING YOU unexpectedly to solicit business, information, or services.

The Department of Treasury maintains a Fraud webpage to keep you in the know and protect yourself: http://www.treasury.gov/about/organizational-structure/ig/Pages/fraud-alerts_index2.aspx

Here is also few great tips from SMPD and the Federal Trade Commission to protect yourself and your money. You can find more at: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0076-phone-scams#Signs

It Might Be a Phone Scam When An Unsolicited Caller Tells You:

• “You've been specially selected (for this offer).”

• “You'll get a free bonus if you buy our product.”

• “Your computer (or cell phone) has a virus”

• “You've won one of five valuable prizes.” • “You've won big money in a foreign lottery.”

• “This investment is low risk and provides a higher return than you can get anywhere else.”

• “You have to make up your mind right away.”

• “You trust me, right?” • “You don't need to check our company with anyone.”

• “We'll just put the shipping and handling charges on your credit card.” Questions to Ask Yourself AND The Caller:

• Who’s calling… and why? The law says telemarketers must tell you it’s a sales call, the name of the seller and what they’re selling before they make their pitch. If you don’t hear this information, say “no thanks,” and get off the phone.

• What’s the hurry? Fast talkers who use high pressure tactics could be hiding something. Take your time. Most legitimate businesses will give you time and written information about an offer before asking you to commit to a purchase.

• If it’s free, why are they asking me to pay? Question fees you need to pay to redeem a prize or gift. Free is free. If you have to pay, it's a purchase — not a prize or a gift.

• Why am I “confirming” my account information — or giving it out? Some callers have your billing information before they call you. They’re trying to get you to say “okay” so they can claim you approved a charge.

• What time is it? The law allows telemarketers to call only between 8 am and 9 pm. A seller calling earlier or later is ignoring the law.

• Do I want more calls like this one? If you don’t want a business to call you again, say so and register your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. If they call back, they’re breaking the law.

Please stay safe and protect yourself. Continue to report any suspicious activity such as this to SMPD so we can send a message to scammers like this that calling members of our San Mateo community is a waste of their time!!

Our “Eyes And Ears”

SMPD urges anyone in our community to report all suspicious activity to SMPD at (650) 522-7700 or 911 for emergencies.

You may also contact the SMPD Secret Witness Line, (650) 522-7676 or report a tip online at http://tinyurl.com/SMPDTips