Residents should be on lookout for scams

By Sam Waller

A report of a credit card scam against a local resident has been made to the Shackelford County Sheriff’s Department, which is actively investigating.

Deputy Sheriff Jason Price said such scams typically involve a request for money with the promise of refunding more money, but the refund never comes.

“The scammers will ask people to put money on a card and give them the card number to get money back,” he said. “If anybody tells you to put money on a card or buy a card, it’s a scam.”

Price advised anyone who suspects they’ve been scammed to take action.

“People can change a card or stop payment on it at the bank,” he said. “If it involves Social Security, you have to go to the Social Security office, and it’s a long, drawn-out process.”

Price said scams can come from a variety of sources, including unsolicited phone calls, text messages, and emails.

“There’s a text going around that Amazon or UPS is trying to deliver a package,” he said. “If they send you a text about it, it’s a scam,” he said.

Even online sources can be unreliable, Price said.

“One local person ordered diesel injectors online and attempted to get a refund,” he said. “The person Googled the company for the vendor’s number. The number that came up was a scam number.”