{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"The News Journal","provider_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net","title":"Be vigilant! Telephone scammers working overtime to rip you off &ndash; The News Journal","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"Zsn8qJgD6V\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/vigilant-telephone-scammers-working-overtime-rip-off\/\">Be vigilant! Telephone scammers working overtime to rip you off<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/vigilant-telephone-scammers-working-overtime-rip-off\/embed\/#?secret=Zsn8qJgD6V\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Be vigilant! Telephone scammers working overtime to rip you off&#8221; &#8212; The News Journal\" data-secret=\"Zsn8qJgD6V\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! 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Many of you have had telephone calls from telemarketers and local scam artists trying to lure you into providing credit card or other information. These crooks prey on the elderly and the uneducated. According to Consumers Union, consumers lose $350 million a year to such scams. Locally there is a scam happening right now to customers of Jackson energy. According to Laurel County Sheriff John Root the scam caller is identifying themselves falsely as Jackson Energy and stating that money is owed to Jackson Energy and the caller is seeking credit card information. These phone scams are attempting to steal money from you. Jackson Energy advises they do not call concerning past due bills and they do not seek personal or credit card information over the phone. In the past couple of weeks I have had some of these calls from telemarketers. Here is what is said on one that I get frequently. \u201cWe are handling a claim in our office. Please press zero to speak to a claim representative at 855-904-7781.\u201d I have never called that number and I do not intend to call it. But I invite the Attorney General to call it. Here is another call that upsets many people. I have received it several times and recently my sister got it and for a few short moments the shocking news caused her to panic. That is, until she started thinking and knew it was a fraud. The call is a recorded message demanding back taxes from the Internal Revenue Service. The caller warns if you don\u2019t pay up there will be serious consequences. It says, \u201dIgnoring this will be an intentional attempt to avoid an appearance before a magistrate judge or a grand jury for a federal crime offense. \u201c This year the IRS says it has seen a 400 percent spike in scamming on computer-based attempts at unsuspecting taxpayers. Over the past two years it is estimated that taxpayers have lost $23 million to these scams. Even if you are not on the National Do Not Call Registry you are protected by laws that prohibit robocalls, unless you have given written consent, or calls are for polling, political, or emergency reasons. The Federal Trade commission has tried to keep up with the scam artists, but with little success. The FTC has sued companies for $419 million but has collected only $24million because the companies don\u2019t have the funds. There are ways to block robocallers. One such way listed is from a system called Nomorobo. It is a service used by 420,000 customers nationwide. There are some cell phone apps that work similarly. But more solutions are needed. On my cell phone I have blocked the number for the claim that I listed earlier but the number keeps changing. Now when I receive a call with a suspect number I don\u2019t answer. They usually leave a message and I ignore it. Dealing with scam artists is irritating, but you should never let your guard down. Check out any unsuspecting callers before you give out any information.","thumbnail_url":"http:\/\/www.thenewsjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Don-Estep.jpg"}