Sheriff's Office to Release Scam Awareness Video

NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (June 3, 2024) – Tuscarawas County residents continue to lose thousands of dollars to scams, but Sheriff Orvis Campbell and his team are trying to change that.

In a recent case reported to the sheriff's office, a Frankin Township woman mailed an $18,000 money order after being contacted by someone claiming to be from Publishers' Clearinghouse. Then, a few days later, a similar scam cost a Sherrodsville-area resident more than three times that amount. Campbell says the pressure tactics scammers use to get people to part with their hard-earned money are so effective that it's not uncommon for an otherwise reasonable person to fall for them.

“We deal with a very large number of them. The individuals on the other end of the line are so convincing. We have suffered gigantic losses in the past. Last year we had the case of a well-respected businessman who lost an estimated sum of almost half a million. We have had many in the $25,000 to $100,000 range.

Campbell says they can sometimes intervene, but once the money reaches overseas it's almost impossible to get it back.

“And the amazing thing about these scams is that when I talk to people and they're almost all calm, they laugh at the idea and say, 'Well, that's stupid.' Of course you shouldn't. What happens is the hook at the beginning just draws people in. Maybe they are in a vulnerable state; maybe they are older; maybe they are desperate – and this leads them to increase their anxiety and make poor judgments.

It happens so often that the sheriff's office releases an educational video on the subject.

“And we're going to distribute this video in any way we can. It will be on our social networks. It will be on our website. We're going to distribute it to senior groups – to anyone who will listen and pick up a free copy, because this is life-changing money being sent.

In the meantime, Campbell says if you receive a call from someone demanding money or gift cards to pay a fine, resolve a warrant, bail a relative out of jail or pay taxes on an award, hang up and contact his office or whatever. local authorities.

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