Sheriff's Office Warns Of New Scam

SEBRING - There's a new telephone scam being tried out, said Paul Hinman of the Highlands County Sheriff's Office Crime Prevention Unit, on Tuesday.

At least 10 people have contacted the unit's office at the Lakeshore Mall reporting that a man with a Jamaican (West Indian) accent called telling the listener that if they send him $800, he will send them $5 million, Hinman said.

"He told them he'd be in the neighborhood to drop off the money," he said.
As usual, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true, Hinman agreed.

With the holidays coming, Hinman warned, people should also be wary of calls from "sound-alike charities."

They often say the charities are for kids, which tends more to tug at people's heartstrings, he said.
"I got a call recently from the National Cancer Society asking for a donation," he said.

Of course the real organization is called the American Cancer Society, he said.
"In my house we just tell the caller we have a policy in our home that we don't do business with telephone solicitors," Hinman said. "If people get calls from anybody soliciting for a charity ask them to send the information by mail."

It isn't necessary to give the caller the address. If they have the phone number, they should be able to find out the address, he said.

Even in the case of legitimate charities, ask how much of the money collected actually goes toward the proposed recipients of the charity, Hinman said.

"Some charities have extremely high overhead," he said. "I've seen as high as 90 percent."

S.A.L.T. Update

Members of Seniors and Law Enforcement Together met Nov. 16 to discuss several important issues including continuing work on its Web site and further development of the "Are You OK" (R.U.O.K.) program, said Nell Hays, coordinator.

R.U.O.K. would be a telephone assurance program where people sign up to get a daily telephone call. S.A.L.T. is exploring hooking it up with a domestic violence program.

It also discussed RSVP, which stands for Retired Seniors Volunteer Program and development of a reciprocal relationship with the sheriff's office's Special Victims Unit.

"Detectives are receiving special training in crimes against seniors," Hays said.
The next S.A.L.T. meeting will be held Dec. 14 at the Florida Hospital Home Care Services office, located at 4005 Sun 'n Lake Blvd., in Sebring.

At its Jan. 11 meeting, plans are being made to extend an invitation to a representative of the state attorney's office to see if S.A.L.T. can be of assistance to that office in any way.