CLARKSTON – The Asotin County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning Monday after recently receiving several reports of scams targeting residents of Asotin County. According to police, local residents who have fallen victim to the scams have had “tens of thousands of dollars” stolen from them.
The Sheriff’s Office says the scams have a similar theme, where the scammer uses pop-ups, advertisements, and/or fake emails on the victim’s computers to engage with the them. The scammer then convinces the victims of problems with their computer or bank account, and attempts to convince the victims to give them information which allows the scammer to control their computer. Police say the scammers provide links, names and phone numbers which appear to be legitimate, however they are not.
The victims of these scams are convinced to withdraw large sums of cash from their banks in order to resolve the issue, and are instructed to lie to the bank about why. The scammers also convince victims to buy thousands of dollars’ worth of gift cards from local stores and lie if questioned at the check-out stand.
The Asotin County Sheriff’s Office urges residents not to have unsolicited conversations online or by phone with persons claiming to be from Microsoft, their bank, the IRS, or other businesses. Legitimate businesses will not ask you to lie to your bank,…
