BBB shares how to protect your information and identify scam calls
JACKSON, Tenn. — One local resident reached out to us to report a new scam and to warn others of this issue.
Gibson County resident, Jinny Estes, recieved a strange voicemail over the weekend that claimed she owed back taxes.
“My records show you do owe us some back taxes. I’m calling because you can now submit to have them forgiven with a recently released taxed owed program,” claimed the anonymous caller.
Luckily she missed the call, however, she warns her peers of this scam.
“At first, when I read it, it did kind of give me a little thrill. Like, uh-oh, what’s going on? So my immediate response thought was not to call her, but to call the tax office to see if I can find out, you know, what was really going on with that,” said Estes.
In 2023, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center reported a 14% increase in complaints from Americans 60 and up.
However, she talks to her community to stay aware of what scams are out there and how to avoid losing everything she worked for.
“If they say it’s your medical, call your doctor and find out. If they say it’s something to do with your utilities call them. If they say it’s something with your taxes call them. Don’t just go with what somebody message that they’re leaving on their. Make sure,” said Estes.
Daniel Irwin, with the Better Business Bureau, shares a tip for those who may not be aware of certain scams that are out there.
“Anybody that contacts you out of the blue and says they are the IRS or any government agency that would be red flag number one but the sure way you’re being scammed is how they ask you to pay,” said Irwin.
Irwin shares that there are tools that are accessible on their website.
“A great tool called ‘scam tracker’ that can be accessed through our website at bbb.org. And what’s great about this it allows anybody and it’s free to use. You can search, let’s say you get a phone number or a phone call from somebody you don’t recognize you can put that number in our scam tracker and it’ll tell you in real time everybody that’s reported that number and what number it’s associated with,” said Irwin.
He also adds why some scams go unreported
“When a senior falls for a scam and they lose money they’re really, really, really hesitant to tell anybody. Especially their family because that can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. They’re afraid to lose their independence so you know seniors are targeted for that reason because they’re less likely to tell others they were victimized,” said Irwin.
Irwin also adds that being scammed is often times not viewed as a serious crime because some people lack empathy with the victims.
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