Buyer beware

Agencies see many phone solicitation scams

MOSES LAKE — Don Garrett received a phone call the other day that he thought was too good to be true.

The unknown caller told the Moses Lake resident he was the lucky recipient of a $12,500 grant that he would never have to pay back. The only catch was he had to pay a $29.95 service charge that the grant company would take out of his bank account. That service charge was the red flag for Garrett.

"I don't give my bank account number to anyone unless I know who I'm talking to," he said.

He reported the situation to the Better Business Bureau, and it turns out the company has received hundreds of complaints against them.

The situation of unknown people asking for personal information over the phone is becoming more common, and different law enforcement agencies occasionally put out public service announcements warning of yet another scam.

The Better Business Bureau of Eastern Washington, North Idaho and Montana gets calls about potential scams almost every 30 minutes. According to spokesperson Zan Deery, the bureau often deals with citizens wishing to lodge complaints or inquire about a specific company.

Deery encourages people not to give out personal information to anyone if they are called cold by a company. Deery also suggests that folks resist "high-pressure" pitches and ask fast talkers to slow down.

"Don't ever hesitate to hang up," Deery said.

The bureau receives complaints in categories like sweepstakes scams, government grants and club sign-up scams. Deery suggests folks try and identify the company they are dealing with if called by a fraudulent group.

If a person has been a victim of a scam, Deery hopes that person contact regulators like the Federal Trade Commission or state attorney general's office and file a formal complaint, in addition to working with their bank on the problem.

Captain Jim Jenkins with the Moses Lake Police Department has seen the scams come through his office several times a year, but admits they have become more frequent recently. He says that a person knows they are safe if they initiate a phone call, but not if they are called blindly by someone they don't know.

"If someone calls you asking for personal information," he said, "there's absolutely no way to verify who you're talking to."

Jenkins recommends people call law enforcement as soon as possible so his office can help try and identify the source. MLPD works with different groups depending on where the scam is believed to have originated from. Most of the scams, Jenkins said, originate from out-of-state.

MLPD warns people not to give out personal information, but Jenkins suggests them to call his office if its too late.

"If they feel they've been the victim of a fraudulent transaction," he said, "they need to contact us immediately so we can get the ball rolling and find out what the extent of the problem is."