FARMINGTON – As law enforcement officers, our departments are committed to fighting crime. Some of the most abhorrent crimes being committed against residents are being carried out by people who don’t live in our communities. These crooks are often out-of-state, and even overseas, and they will stop at nothing to steal money from their victims, and, in some cases, rob them of their dignity. Most often, these fraudsters contact their intended victim over the telephone, sometimes through the mail, and increasingly more often via email. They lie. They harass. They threaten. And they do everything they can to get you to trust them just so they can rob you.
Our departments often receive calls from concerned residents, some of whom have lost thousands of dollars that we will never be able to recover. Sometimes, the callers just want to report a suspicious call or think they have been contacted by a likely criminal. Fortunately, we have an advocate at the federal level helping us crack down on these scam artists. As the leader of the Senate Aging Committee, Senator Collins is working to combat these frauds and stem the tide of the increasing number of “Robocalls”. Each year, her Committee publishes a list of the top ten scams reported to its Fraud Hotline. Her office provides copies of this publication to our departments, which we distribute because education is the first line of defense. The truth is, if you suspect you’re being scammed, you are less likely to part with the money you have earned and saved.
If you would like to receive a copy of this book, you can call the Senate Aging Committee’s toll-free Fraud Hotline at 1-855-303-9470, and one will be mailed to you.
We at the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office are proud to work closely with Senator Collins because we share her goal – to ensure that residents of our communities, especially seniors, have the information they need to avoid becoming victims, and to stopping the cruel scams that are hurting far too many Maine families.
Sheriff Christopher Wainwright
Oxford County Sheriff
Sheriff Scott R. Nichols
Franklin County Sheriff
For those using mobile devices, a helpful app called TrueCaller will significantly cut down on robocalls. I handsdown recommend it. I rarely get those calls anymore as long as I keep it updated.. Hope it helps someone else out!
I got a call a few days ago on my answering machine telling me they were social security and to call back immediately because there was a problem with a social security number of someone in our house. Needless to say I didn’t call back but if I was uninformed I might have. Always someone wanting to scam people.
It is wonderful that the sheriff’s office is educating the public about these horrible scams. But this announcement did not have to turn into an endorsement for Susan Collins. Senator Collins is not a friend to the working men and women of the state of Maine. She abandoned victims of sexual harrassment with her support of an undeserving Supreme Court nominee. Now, she remains silent while her political party supports the Trump shutdown. Senator Collins should stop scamming Mainers. She cares far more for the spotlight than she does for the people she represents.
I like what the sheriff’s department is trying to do. I have had a lot of these calls. What I have found that works for me is , if you don’t know the number don’t answer. They will not leave a message. If it is someone you know they will leave message. The calls I get now are far and few between. Don’t answer if you don’t know the number.
@ Arnold their you go theres always one person who can’t appreciate the fact that people are looking out for you as a constituent. Someone always has to turn a good news article into a political whine fest.
Fred..that is exactly what I do. But there are still a lot of people who do not have caller ID. A lot of people who have limited, or no site. Those who have a cell phone, but “only for emergencies” so they don’t enter contacts in their phone so a name won’t come up when called. ( I have older relatives who have this)
HelpfulTip..thanks for the tip! I will look up that app.
Arnold..I agree with you on Sen. Collins, however, she apparently IS helping with this issue, or the Sherriff’s dept. wouldn’t have added the info…
I just feel so bad for those who get scammed…they are the ones who can least afford it, nor do they completely understand what’s going on :-(
People need to grow up stop insulting eachother that mean what is happening to our Our president. and Susan Collins..they deserves respect like Obama…just because your view disagree with others show our children respect for others. You people don’t know the whole truth so stop knocking them.