The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors was pretty stoked today, as it found out that a dozen people had applied to fill out one member’s term on the McKMAC — the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee.
That’s a lot of applicants!
Our Ryan Burns will have more on today’s Board of Supervisors meeting later, but now comes news from the Sheriff’s Office that some creep fashioned an online scam targeting those 12 people in particular. What a world!
Press
release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
The Humboldt County Clerk of the Board’s Office and Planning &
Building Department have recently received several reports of an
email scam targeting the community.
In this scam fraudulent emails claim to be from the Humboldt
County Planning Commission. The scammer tells the victim that they
have reviewed and approved their application to serve on the
McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee and an “application
review and approval fee” is required before “official approval”
can be finalized.
The email appears to mine information from publicly-accessible
documents such as Board of Supervisors meeting agendas and related
application documents. It also includes instructions on how to wire
funds to pay the fee and settle the account.
The County of Humboldt does not charge or require an “application
review and approval fee” for the McKinleyville Municipal
Advisory Committee or any other Humboldt County board, committee or
commission and would like the community to know that this is a scam.
While departments such as the Clerk of the Board and Planning &
Building may contact you regarding your application to serve on a
county board, committee or commission, the county will never ask you
to pay a fee to serve or:
Mail large sums of cash
Wire funds to a private account
Use a credit card over the phone,
or
Pay with gift cards or pre-paid money card
If you have any questions about the status of your application to
serve on a county board, committee or commission, please call the
Humboldt County Clerk of the Board’s Office at 707-476-2390.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone who
believes they may have been targeted or have been a victim of this
type of fraudulent activity to report the incident immediately by
calling 707-445-7251.
Please remember these tips to help protect yourself from fraud:
Spot imposters.
Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, like a government
official, a family member, a charity or a company with which you do
business. Do not send money or give out personal information in
response to an unexpected request, whether it comes as a text, a
phone call or an email. Do not open attachments in emails from
unknown sources.
Do online research. Type
a company or product name into your favorite search engine with
words like “review,” “complaint” or “scam.” Or search
for a phrase that describes your situation, like “application fee”
or “IRS call.” You can even search for phone numbers and email
addresses to see if other people have reported them as scams.
Don’t believe the name
in an email or your caller ID. Technology makes it
easy for scammers to fake email account names and caller ID
information, so the name and number you see are not always real. If
someone calls asking for money or personal information, hang up. If
someone emails you asking for you to take action, do not click links
in the email or open attachments. If you think the person contacting
you might be telling the truth, call back to a number you know is
genuine.
Talk to someone. Before
you give up your money or personal information, talk to someone you
trust. Con artists want you to make decisions in a hurry. They might
even threaten you. Slow down, check out the story, do an online
search, consult an expert or just tell a friend. If you have applied
to serve on a county board, committee or commission with the Clerk
of the Board’s office, please contact them and ask questions.
Do not rely on personal information. Living
in the digital age, access to information is easier than ever.
Scammers are often able to get their hands on very personal
information, providing it to their victims to make their scam look
more legitimate. Do not trust a scammer who is able to provide your
personal information. If you followed the above tips and still are
not sure, call back at a publicly listed number for the organization
from which the scammer claims to be or contact your loved one
directly.
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