Tip of the Week For the week of April 21, 2025 Spring Scam Reminder April showers bring May flowers but scams are always in-season. Ever year Oregonians fall victim to scams from criminals disguising themselves as legitimate organizations or businesses. They are quite savvy in getting you to provide your personal information and create a sense of urgency to get you to act quickly. One popular scam we see in Lincoln County is via phone call. Scammers pretend to be from our agency or another organization calling regarding jury duty, an outstanding fees, etc. Then they pressure you to pay a fine or bail money, often in Bitcoin, gift cards, or other non-traditional payment forms. You should know our office will NOT ask for payment over the phone. Before you share any information with the caller, collect their name, agency, and reason for calling. Then hang up and look up the organization’s real contact information to confirm the call is legitimate. Save our contact information below so that you can quickly verify someone from our office calling. Protect yourself from scams: Use caution, especially with those you are not familiar with. o When you receive unexpected contacts from people or businesses, over the phone, by mail, email, in person, or on social media, always consider the possibility that the interaction may be a scam. o Remember to call or log on to the organization’s real website to verify the information you’ve been given is accurate. o Verify the caller is from a legitimate organization before sharing any information. If you have trouble verifying an organization’s phone number or website, consider stopping by their office to speak with someone in person. Protect your passwords and personal information. o Always use password protection. o Don’t share access with others. o Update security software and back up content regularly. o Protect your Wi-Fi network with a password. o Avoid using public computers or Wi-Fi hotspots to access online banking or other personal information. Ignore unfamiliar attachments or links. o Don’t click on links, open attachments, attempt to unsubscribe, or call any telephone number listed in suspicious messages. o Do NOT give any money, credit card info, or other personal details. o When in doubt, look up the organization’s website or phone number and contact them directly. Save contact information from official organization’s ahead of time. o Anytime you open a bank account, work with a company, etc., save that organization’s phone number, website, and address so that you can reach out to them if you receive something suspicious or have questions about someone from their agency contacting you. Know what an organization will and won’t ask for over the phone or through email. o The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office will NOT ask you for payment over the phone. o Most government agencies will not ask for sensitive information such as social security numbers, passwords, etc. over the phone. Help friends and family learn how to spot a scam. o Protect others by helping them learn and follow scam prevention tips. o Encourage loved ones of all ages to tell you about or otherwise report suspicious calls, texts, emails, and social media messages. Remind them to verify the person or organization sending the message before they reply back, provide information, or click on any links. How to know if information is really from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office: • It is on our official website: lincolncountysheriff.net/ • Our staff can verify the information is true. Give us a call at 541-265-4277 if you have questions about a service or need to connect with someone in our Office. • It comes directly from our Lincoln County Sheriff's Office - Oregon Facebook page, NOT a third party or a comment from another Facebook user. • It comes from one of our other Facebook accounts: Lincoln County Animal Shelter or Lincoln County Oregon Emergency Management