The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

The Haxtun Police Department has seen a spike in fraud and scam reports in the area and Police Chief Tanya Mayhew reminds community members to be vigilant in giving out personal information. Lately, the department has seen a spike in unemployment fraud and other scam operations claiming to be Amazon and Microsoft.

Mayhew said that recently, someone is calling residents, stating that there is a problem or a new charge on an account such as Amazon or Microsoft. The caller is asking for access to the owner’s computer to assist with resolving the issue. Once into the computer, the caller states they have found potential harmful issues and asks for payment to fix it.

Sometimes, she said, the caller says they see an unusual charge on an account and claim that in order to be reimbursed, they need credit card information or pre-paid money cards.

“In the meantime, they are into your accounts on your computer, to include bank accounts and are taking money as well as charging items to your credit cards,” Mayhew said. “These are all scams no matter what they are telling you. Please do not give anyone access to your computer and please do not give out personal information.

Mayhew said if residents are hesitant or question a call, to reach out to the Haxtun Police Department for assistance in determining its legitimacy.

“These scammers are smooth in talking and they should just hang up on,” Mayhew said.

Additionally, the Chief of Police said her department has also seen an increase in unemployment fraud in the area. The scams include ReliaCards from US Bank.

If you receive a card or any information related to these cards, please be diligent and take the following steps, even if you do not receive the physical US Bank card in the mail:

• Do not use the ReliaCard and instead deactivate it. To do this, call US Bank at1-855-279-1578 or submit a form by email to U.S. Bank at [email protected]. You can also visit http://www.usbankreliacard.com/web/usbankreliacard/report-card.

• Submit a fraud report with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment at https://cdle.colorado.gov/fraud-prevention.

• Place a fraud alert in your name with the consumer credit bureaus. lt is free to place and remove the alerts. After contacting one consumer credit bureau, you do not have to contact the others. Included are contact information for the three largest credit bureaus: Equifax: (800) 525-6285 or equifax.com; Experian: (888) 397-3742 or experian.com; and TransUnion: (800) 680-7289 or transunion.com.

• Regularly review your credit reports from each of the three credit bureaus. lf you discover any incorrect or fraudulent information on your credit report, you may dispute it with the credit bureau directly. Normally, you can receive one free copy of your credit report each year from each credit bureau. Due to increased fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic, each of the three credit bureaus is currently offering free weekly credit reports via annualcreditreport.com.

• File a police report. You may file an online or counter report with your local police department to create a record that you were the victim of fraud. Request a copy of the report for your records. Report identity theft to the Internal Revenue Service by filing an Identity Theft Affidavit (lRS Form 14039) at irs.gov or identitytheft.gov.

• Learn more about how to recover from identity theft and protect your identity at the Federal Trade Commission website at identitytheft.gov.

• Keep your records. Maintain a central file of any records relating to this identity theft, in case you are notified of other fraud or breaches of your personal information.

• You may receive an IRS Tax Form 1099G in 2021, but CDLE is taking steps to stop those forms from issuing to consumers like you. lf you do receive an IRS Tax From 1099G, please contact CDLE.

Additional information is available at: https://www.colorado.gov/.../cdle/fraud-prevention-employers and https://www.usbankreliacard.com/web/usbankreliacard/login.