Residents warned of identity theft, scams
Hillsboro Police Department recently has received reports of possible attempted identity thefts.
Local banks reported customers have received telephone calls from those posing as bank officials. These scammers ask victims to verify bank account numbers which is not the way banks conduct business.
Another scam is when a thief posing as a state official claims he needs personal information and numbers to put victims on "no call" lists. Individuals are to contact the state to be placed on a the lists.
Local banks also have reported at least two check scams.
During the scam, a thief sent a check to an individual and asked the individual to cash it for him. The suspect will give various reasons why he can't cash it.
The victim then is directed to keep half of the money and forward the rest to an address. These checks are bogus, and are drawn on non-existent accounts.
Alert bank personnel did not cash the check and advised the victim of the scam. If the bank had cashed the check, the victim cashing the check would have been held responsible while the perpetrator receives the money.
Most of these scams come from other countries and are nearly impossible to trace. Even if the responsible party is located, the chances of recovering the victim's loss is slight.
The police department advises residents to safeguard their information and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
