Yakima Sheriff Warns of Holiday Scam Surge & Tips To Avoid Them

'Tis the season for giving, and also the season for taking and scams, and the Washington area is being hit big time, hoping to get people with trusting hearts and open wallets.

A Warning From The Yakima County Sheriff's Office

We should all know by now about the scammers and their ways of getting people's hard-earned money and information, but a wise man once said, 'Common sense is hardly ever common.' Not to mention, scammers are getting more creative and craftier with their cons.

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"Welcome to the holiday season scam call marathon!"
– Yakima County Sheriff's Office.

The Yakima County Sheriff's Office took to their official Facebook page to help remind people of the dangers of scammers. Their tactics of fear and intimidation are all in an attempt to keep you on the phone and to get your money and information.

"If someone is calling you about jury duty, a 'legal matter', holiday fundraisers, anyone from a government agency, or anyone that you are not expecting a call from, AND they are trying to get money from you, ignore them and hang up."
– Yakima County Sheriff's Office.

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Tips To Avoid Scammers

They also gave Yakima residents tips on how to avoid scammers. Such as:

App Help: Using an app and phone carrier resources to help block robocalls, spam, and scam calls. Contact your phone carrier for more details.

Report SPAM: When it comes to what's called "Robotexts", many phones have a "report as junk" function, or you can forward them to 7726 (or "SPAM").

FCC: You can get the FCC involved and report unwanted calls and texts to FCC.gov/Complaints.

Do Not Call List: And don't forget about the National Do Not Call Registry. You'll still be hounded by certain organizations (political), but it really does help.

Federal Trade Commission: They end their post/warning with a great resource, the Federal Trade Commission, especially if you've been impacted by a scam. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.