Scams come in all different shapes and sizes. And, it is not unusual for a community to be hit by multiple types of scams at the same time.
Such was the case in the past few weeks when two completely different scams were reported to area law enforcement officers.
The first scam was reported on Aug. 9, when a Windom woman reported that someone hacked into her g-mail account. The person was able to change the password of the account and enter her paypall account. Fortunately, the woman realized what was happening and was able to save all but $300 (which was collected by the scammer). She deleted her account and the case is under investigation.
The second scam was reported shortly after 6 a.m. on Aug. 15. An area resident reported that a scammer claimed to have lewd photos of the man. The man was told he would have to pay $800 to retrieve the photos.
“These people can be very threatening, at times, on the phone,” said Windom Assistant Police Chief Cory Hillesheim. “If you have questions about something like this, call the police. And, the best thing to do in this situation is to hang up on them (the scammers).”
Share your scam story
Local law enforcrment is concerned about the impact of scams on area residents, particularly the elderly.
Consequently, this newspaper works with local police and sheriff’s departments to keep residents updated on common schemes. Scam Alerts will appear in future editions as often as possible in the coming weeks.
Readers can also find online scam updates at windomnews.com.
If you have been the target of a scam, your first contact should be local authorities. Also, feel free to contact us with details (we can keep your name confidential).
Send your story to: rahnl@windomnews.com, or call 507-831-3455. By sharing, you could prevent someone from being scammed.
