Fulton, Columbia police see increase in scams over phone

More people reported callers to the police for trying to scam them in 2015 than the year before.

Fulton police Chief Steve Myers estimated a twenty percent increase last year over 2014 in reports of scams over the phone. Chief Myers said the most common ones involve the caller painting a frantic scene – often times, posing as a family member hurt in another country.

“They’d call and say, ‘It’s your daughter that’s been hurt,’ or granddaughter or grandson, and we need money for hospital bills in Canada or some other country,” Myers told ABC 17 News.

Columbia police reported a nearly similar increase in reports. The department said it took 914 reports of fraud from January to November 2015, a 22-percent jump over the last year. The most common ones included people pretending to be police or sheriff’s deputies, demanding people pay a pending arrest warrant, or a fake utility worker requiring an “advanced payment.” Columbia police noted that law enforcement would never require someone to pay a warrant by phone, or make utility payments by phone.

Chief Myers said once a scam victim makes a payment, it’s difficult for police to get the money back. He said often times, the money goes overseas – where local, or federal, authorities have little jurisdiction. He recommended people stay skeptical if a family member called claiming they were overseas, if the family member had not said they were traveling prior.

“Please call the police department,” Chief Myers said. “Certainly, if you’re in Fulton, call us, and we will assist you.”