Mt. Vernon Register-News

Local

July 2, 2008

Internet brings scams to the 21st century

Editor’s note: This report is third in a week-long series on consumer frauds and scams.

By KANDACE MCCOY

kandace.mccoy@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — Technology may be the wave of the future, but it is also a tool which scammers use to defraud consumers of identification or even bank account information.

Last year, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan warned consumers against unsolicited e-mail which circulated claims that the recipient had won the Illinois Lottery. Madigan’s office warned the e-mail was part of a scam designed to defraud consumers of money and gain personal information from them, a warning which Mt. Vernon Police Detective Marty Terry said consumers should still be wary of.

Terry, who is also the elderly senior services officer for the King City, said he has received a number of complaints regarding lottery scams — either by e-mail, phone or letter in the mail — informing residents that they have won a lottery. However, in order for the resident to claim the money, a fee is required to “help defer costs of shipping.” And if the fee is paid, then consumers are allegedly supposed to receive the money.

“If you won [a lottery], you never have to pay to win,” Terry advises. “And if you didn’t enter, then you haven’t won.”

“The rule of thumb is if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is,” warns Jefferson County Sheriff Roger Mulch of e-mail and Internet scams. Mulch said one example of an Internet scam was of a complaint by a resident who found a car on a Web site such as eBay. And though the complainant had been in communication with the seller by phone and by e-mail, once the money was sent to the seller, the complainant never saw the product.

Another scam Mulch warns consumers about are e-mail scams. “They’ll be by someone claiming to be sick or terminally ill, and if you send them your bank account and identifiers, they’ll e-mail you [money]. There are hundreds that come in daily like that.”

Terry also said that he received notification from the Illinois Department of Aging warning of stimulus scams. “The IRS does not contact people by e-mail and won’t ask anything from you,” he explained. He also said if consumers aren’t educated about scams, they won’t be able to identify one and could be vulnerable to scam artists. “If you’re not familiar with [an e-mail] scam, and get an e-mail from a bank [claiming] that bank is going to close your account, you may [unintentionally give information] to them. A bank would never call you for information. They already have that.”

Those suspecting they may have been victims of fraud may contact the Mt. Vernon Police Department at 242-2727 or the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department at 244-8004.

For additional information on how to avoid consumer scams, visit www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov or call the Consumer Fraud Hotline at 800-243-0607.

Text Only
Local
  • Evening of Jazz at Cedarhurst Valentine weekend

    The 6th Annual Valentine Weekend Jazz Concert at Cedarhurst will be held Saturday, featuring the Loren Golden Ensemble.
    "This is the sixth year for the Evening of Jazz at Cedarhurst,” Sarah Sledge, Cedarhurst's Communications Director noted. "It's always a popular event when we pair jazz music with the Valentine theme."
    Golden, an attorney by profession, is a talented pianist who frequently performs with the Elgin Community College Jazz Ensemble, inormation states.  A pianist since the age of four, his love of the arts has inspired his continued involvement with music. Golden has enjoyed playing piano in variety shows, summer theatre, and clubs such as the Playboy Clubs in Chicago and Lake Geneva.

    February 9, 2012

  • District 80 receives recognition

    City Schools District 80 received a 3.8 out of a possible 4 points on its 2012 Financial Profile Designation from the Illinois State Board of Education.
    This is the second year in a row the district has received the “financial recognition” category from the state board; the district received the same score as 2011.

    February 9, 2012

  • WILLIAMS JCAAHC highlights citizens

    Karl Williams, the inbound manager at Walgreen’s Distribution, has worked there for 39 years, 20 of which has been in the King City.
    Debbie Kendrick-Hopgood followed in her grandmother’s and father’s footsteps as the head of Kendrick Paper Stock Company, and has worked there since 1980.

    February 9, 2012 1 Photo

  • Start Smart program to start second season

    MT. VERNON — The Mt. Vernon Department of Parks and Recreation will host a second season of Start Smart, a program that helps parents teach their children sports skills.

    February 8, 2012

  • Mayor declares February Black History Month

    MT. VERNON — February is Black History Month across the United States, but it is officially Black History Month in the city of Mt. Vernon as well.

    February 8, 2012

  • Church to host revival

    MT. VERNON — Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church will be hosting a three-day Black History Month Celebration/Winter Revival in conjunction with Jefferson County Crusaders for Change.

    February 8, 2012

  • City approves track construction plans

    MT. VERNON —  The Mt. Vernon City Council on Monday approved a resolution allowing a rail spur to be built onto Continental Tire the Americas property.

    February 8, 2012

  • fire fighter Fire fighters tour with military truck

    MT. VERNON — Mt. Vernon Fire Department firefighter and Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Chris Heiken brought a military tactical fire fighting truck to the 42nd Street Mt. Vernon Fire Department station on Tuesday.

    February 8, 2012 1 Photo

  • Chamber of Commerce seeks nominations

    MT. VERNON — Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for its 2012 Citizen of the Year and Small Business Person of the Year.

    February 7, 2012

  • Crime Stoppers to release Watchdog Quarterly

    MT. VERNON — The Jefferson County Crime Stoppers is gearing up to release its first Watchdog Quarterly.

    February 7, 2012