Phone Scams Galore—Oh My!
There are several phone scams happening right now. The big one is still the phone call from “Windows” claiming your computer has errors and they will “fix it” for you. If you’ve been reading this newsletter for awhile you will know that “Windows” is a product, not a company. Microsoft owns Windows and Microsoft is too busy counting all of its money to spend any time calling you and offering to fix any imaginary problems you might have (for free). So please remember, if you get an unsolicited phone call, tell them you have it under control and hang up.

It’s tax season, and there is another phone scam happening. “IRS” is calling about unpaid taxes and threatening to have you arrested if you do not co-operate. Push “1” if you are a business, or “2” if you are an individual. They left 3 messages on my answering machine a few days back. The number of messages was one of the clues that this was a scam, as was the static and the foreign accent. The real IRS wants you to know, that they always mail a bill first, and they never demand payment without the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.

And a new scam that is running rampant in Ohio and most probably coming to Oregon as well: A phone call from a spoofed 911 requesting you call a fake Attorney General’s Office to pay a fine or be arrested. I can’t think of single reason why 911 would be calling and demanding money so that should be clue enough to know this is a scam, but be prepared. It’s most probably coming to a phone near you.

And beware: Right now these scams on happening on phone lines, but they can also happen via email. So remember: If you don’t recognize the sender, don’t open the email. If you weren’t expecting an attachment, don’t open it. And don’t click on web links. If you truly want to see the site, do a google search for it instead. If it is worth seeing, google will know about it.

Surf Safe, Happy Easter and aren’t you glad we don’t have 2 feet of snow!

~Janet

And Just For Fun: