Harrison County Officials Issue Scam Warning

MARSHALL — Harrison County investigators are advising citizens of a new scam variation that’s struck the area. KETK reports the callers, typically with a thick accent, will identify themselves as representatives of the Harrison County tax office or the appraisal district. The caller then says that back due taxes are owed and a warrant will be issued for the arrest of the person if he or she doesn’t immediately provide payment. The caller then says the person may pay by check and that the caller will accept the payment over the phone, and then asks for the account numbers. When you give the bank routing number and your account number, the caller will immediately send an electronic transfer to your account by computer, and your money is gone.

The Sheriff’s Office is warning that if you give this information to these callers, you have effectively made a gift to that person and recovery is virtually impossible. The Sheriff’s Office will not arrest, or request any warrants to be issued for any person regarding debts or monies owed. That is a civil issue and not criminal. These callers are using intimidation tactics and fear as the way to leverage the call to their advantage, according to authorities. They may also be using the tactic of saying they are from the IRS, Sheriff’s Office, or Police Department and demand the same bank information. Officials say the callers all have used the same method to startle and intimidate the person answering the phone.

When the caller ID appears on the phone, many times it will indicate a telephone number from an area of the United States; however, these callers are using a tactic called “spoofing” and changing the telephone number from where they are actually calling. The telephones are being purchased through various markets and sent to the callers, typically in Jamaica or the Bahamas. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caller_ID_spoofing for information on how the phones are used in spoofing.

Officials advise you not to engage these people in any conversation and simply hang up the phone. You may get repeated telephone calls from the callers, but hang up and do not give your financial information to an