County

Sheriff’s office warns residents against elder scams, ID theft

RBC I Most of us would pay attention if we thought we were being contacted by Medicare, the IRS or a representative of the federal government, law enforcement or anyone else making an offer that is hard to refuse.

We would want to be cooperative, share whatever information is being requested and respond politely and promptly to whatever inquiries are being made.
However, we at AARP Foundation ElderWatch find ourselves telling people to suspend these instincts until they are sure that the callers are really representing the organizations or services they say they are.
Volunteers answering the phones at ElderWatch continue to hear stories about older Coloradans being contacted by people who want their money, personal information and Social Security numbers, solely for the purpose of making money at the elders’ expense.
And we’re finding that these impostor scams—where people pose as relatives, government agencies or law enforcers—are becoming more and more prevalent. In fact, in 2014, “Impostor Scams” are ranked as the sixth most common fraud reported into our office.
In 2013, they didn’t even make it into the top 10 list of complaint categories. This trend appears to be occurring on the national level as well, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting imposter scams as the country’s fourth most common fraud, up from No. 6 in 2012.
One of the most common impostor scams targeting older Coloradans is the grandparent scam. This most often occurs when a young person calls the potential victim pretending to be a grandchild. The caller claims they are in a foreign country and have been arrested for drunk driving or detained for some other reason and they need money wired to them in order to return home safely.
In many cases we discover that the scammers have mined social media sites to find personal information about the grandchild and grandparents, which makes this scam even more effective than it was in the past.
There are also instances where elders receive a call supposedly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) telling them that they owe additional taxes and using various threats to intimidate them into sending money. This frightens many elders who have been told they will be arrested if they fail to respond.
An impostor scam that ElderWatch has been hearing about recently includes a call from “the government,” generally from a Washington, D.C. area code, informing the elder that he or she has been selected for a free government grant. All the older person has to do is pay a specified amount of money in advance for the taxes and fees to “release” the grant funds.
Often even a grant approval number is given, and call-back numbers are generally answered by a live person who claims to be with a government agency.
Most of us would agree that the government is an unlikely body to be giving “free grants,” but the lure has caught many older Coloradans off guard.
Warning citizens to be on alert should they be contacted by anyone asking for their Social Security number, demanding immediate payments or threatening them with arrest or legal action, can go a long way to stopping this kind of fraud.
We also try to raise consumer awareness of “red-flag” payment methods, such as wiring money or purchasing prepaid cards, such as the Green Dot MoneyPak card.
While the majority of these scams occur outside the jurisdiction of local law enforcement, it is important for older Coloradans to feel like they can report these crimes locally.
We encourage law enforcement to be accessible, approachable and patient with seniors who have been exposed to these scams because we often hear that they cause the senior to feel unsafe in their own home.
Please encourage older citizens in your community to be cautious and to be sure they do not give out sensitive information to unsolicited callers. And don’t hesitate to provide them with the ElderWatch phone number, 1-800-222-4444, option 2, where volunteers can provide peer counseling.

By Beau Ballinger
Senior Program Specialist
AARP Elderwatch
Submitted by the RBCSO

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It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
1 day ago
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
1 day ago
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Meeker FFA Chapter members competed at the District Leadership Development Event in Craig, Colorado, this month. Top row from left to right: Eva Scritchfield, Charlie Rogers, Alan Rivera, Trent Sanders, Koy Weber, Orion Musser, Said Rodriguez, Carlos Carrillo, Aidan Tapia, Hayden Garcia, Tristan Rollins, Mathew Willey, Quentin Simpson. Middle row: Sidney Keetch, Aurora Stallings, Sydnie Ross, Ava Nay, Lili Piper, Leah Wood. Bottom Row: Jaicee Simmons, Kailynn Watson, Cody Richardson, Kayla Castillo, Braydin Raley, Autumn Stallings, Aimee Shults, Emily Hamm. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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View on Instagram |
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Choose-your-own-adventure…. Hear from our Editor in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
3 days ago
View on Instagram |
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A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
4 days ago
View on Instagram |
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Black Sulphur Tavern held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for their new business at 364 Seventh St. The space has been renovated with several TVs and games and provides a fun, friendly atmosphere to watch your favorite sports team and enjoy a burger and wings. Owners Frank Maestas and Pat Maestas are pictured with their new staff and Chamber of Commerce representatives Stephanie Hanson, Trudy Burri and Margie Joy. Follow Black Sulphur Tavern on Facebook. Their hours are Wednesday and Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. - 1 a.m., Saturday 11-1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight.
Black Sulphur Tavern held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for their new business at 364 Seventh St. The space has been renovated with several TVs and games and provides a fun, friendly atmosphere to watch your favorite sports team and enjoy a burger and wings. Owners Frank Maestas and Pat Maestas are pictured with their new staff and Chamber of Commerce representatives Stephanie Hanson, Trudy Burri and Margie Joy. Follow Black Sulphur Tavern on Facebook. Their hours are Wednesday and Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. - 1 a.m., Saturday 11-1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight.
4 days ago
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The winning teams and individuals for the 18th annual White River Community Association Buy-Fly Fishing Tournament are as follows. Individual top weight catch was Dave Metrovich and longest fish was Kevin Massey. First place team won by Rio Blanco Abstract: Erik Eckman, Adam Parrett, Dave Metrovich and Wayne Kirkpatrick. Second place team was Drake Consulting: Travis Kaiser, John Douglas, Tony Bartolomucci and Bob Brandeberry. Third place team Mr. Rogers and the Hood (accepted by Doug Rogers) Gary Rogers, Mark Beauchamp, Kyle Schutte and Rick Gunter. The white fish have been frozen and will be served at the annual White River Community Association fish fry fundraiser in June.
The winning teams and individuals for the 18th annual White River Community Association Buy-Fly Fishing Tournament are as follows. Individual top weight catch was Dave Metrovich and longest fish was Kevin Massey. First place team won by Rio Blanco Abstract: Erik Eckman, Adam Parrett, Dave Metrovich and Wayne Kirkpatrick. Second place team was Drake Consulting: Travis Kaiser, John Douglas, Tony Bartolomucci and Bob Brandeberry. Third place team Mr. Rogers and the Hood (accepted by Doug Rogers) Gary Rogers, Mark Beauchamp, Kyle Schutte and Rick Gunter. The white fish have been frozen and will be served at the annual White River Community Association fish fry fundraiser in June.
5 days ago
View on Instagram |
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Cowboy Carson Klinzmann on the mound for Meeker at Suplizio Field in Grand Junction last Saturday. Meeker took on the 4A Rifle Bears, losing 11-1, and the Basalt Longhorns, losing 7-3. Read the recap online at ht1885.com.
Cowboy Carson Klinzmann on the mound for Meeker at Suplizio Field in Grand Junction last Saturday. Meeker took on the 4A Rifle Bears, losing 11-1, and the Basalt Longhorns, losing 7-3. Read the recap online at ht1885.com.
5 days ago
View on Instagram |
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