Winston Co. Sheriff Warns of Scams in the Area

The Winston County Sheriff's Office is warning local residents about several scams that have been attempted in the county over the last several weeks. Phone scams include individuals pretending to be from financial institutions verifying banking info and account information and at least one call claiming  a loan default and attempting to get account information as well.  Scammers tend to target the elderly and if account information is provided, the scammer can quickly withdraw funds from the account.
Do not provide bank account or credit card information to unsolicited callers. Legitimate financial institutions, credit card companies and the IRS do not call and ask for account information. If you feel that you have been contacted by a scammer or have been victimized, contact the Winston County Sheriff's Office at 662-773-5881. You may also contact the Public Service Commission to sign up for the "No Call" list and/or report a complaint at  http://www.psc.state.ms.us/.  The Federal Trade Commission also has a website with information concerning phone scams at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/phonefraud/index.shtml

In addition to phone scams, there have been several reports of a black male going door to door and posing as a pastor and soliciting funds to help a family raise funds to return a deceased individual's body from out of state. These reports have come from the Noxapater and the Hwy 25 North area.

W. McCully