Sheriff Wayne Ivey’s Weekly Crime Tip Focuses On Christmas Time Scams
By Wayne Ivey, Brevard County Sheriff // November 16, 2015
NEVER give solicitor personal information
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — Well it’s that time of the year again, you know that time of the year where instead of going out and getting a real job the scam artist try to take advantage of the Christmas and Holiday Season.
They prey upon or try to take advantage of those who are unsuspecting or are charitable to those in need.
So with that in mind we are going to focus our next few Weekly Crime Prevention Messages on how to avoid scams during the Holidays and what types of scams are currently being used to target citizens.
The simple and easiest way to avoid becoming the victim of a scam is to never converse with anyone that you did not attempt to make contact first. If they contact you by phone, email you, text you, or even knock on your door you should immediately be suspicious.
If you do converse with someone who solicits you NEVER give them personal information or allow them access to your computer.
If they tell you that your account is in jeopardy or has been targeted do not discuss with them any account information but instead hang up the telephone and contact your financial institution or credit card company by using the telephone number that is listed on the bank of your bank or credit card.
One of the best methods to avoid being the victim of a scam is to allow all telephone calls from unknown callers to go to you voicemail or answering machine. By using your voicemail and answering machine as filter you can significantly reduce your exposure to potential fraudsters.
One of the current scams that we are experiencing in Brevard County is the IRS Scam where the caller tells you “this is your last chance to avoid being sued by the IRS!” First and foremost please note that the IRS does not work like this and any calls to your home that are threatening you are going to be a scam.
Please don’t call the number back if they leave one on your messaging device as they will attempt to solicit vital information from you. If you are truly concerned that there may be an issue with the IRS or others call a trusted number that you researched and found yourself rather than use the number the caller provided.
In the coming weeks we will talk about other techniques to protect yourself during the Holidays as you shop, travel, and prepare for Christmas.
As always, thank you for sharing this vital Crime Prevention information with your family and friends and for your incredible support of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a law enforcement officer for over three decades. Sheriff Ivey is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Daytona State College in Management and Supervision. Sheriff Ivey’s background in law enforcement is inclusive of Management, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Patrol Services, Public Integrity Investigations, and Corrections.
Prior to being elected in 2012, Sheriff Ivey served the citizens of the State of Florida as a Resident Agent in Charge for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As a member of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sheriff Ivey developed and created the country’s first ever statewide Task Force on Identity Theft.
That same year the Task Force was named one of the top five most innovative programs in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and investigated approximately 44 million dollars in fraud cases. Additionally, as a member of FDLE, Sheriff Ivey created the Child Abduction Response Team (C.A.R.T) that re-defined the way Child Abduction cases are conducted throughout the country today.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a law enforcement officer for over three decades. Sheriff Ivey is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Daytona State College in Management and Supervision. Sheriff Ivey’s background in law enforcement is inclusive of Management, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Patrol Services, Public Integrity Investigations, and Corrections.
The program was later selected as the most innovative program in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is now used as a nationwide model in the response and investigation of child abductions.
Sheriff Ivey has testified before the United States Congress on law enforcement related matters and has extensive experience in the area of Public Integrity Investigations. Sheriff Ivey was honored as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Special Agent of the Year (1996) and was also recognized by the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for his Outstanding Contributions to Criminal Justice. In August of 2011 Sheriff Ivey was honored by the National Organization of Victims Advocacy for his work at the national level as an advocate of victim’s rights and protection.
Sheriff Ivey speaks regularly on topics such as Identity Theft, Crime in America, Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Self Defense through Mental Preparedness. Sheriff Ivey firmly believes that Crime Prevention and Education are vital to reduce our crime rate and protect our community.
