Greencastle Police Department continues to warn residents about scams

Have you ever received an email, text or call stating you've inherited thousands of dollars from a family member in a foreign country that you've never been to?

If so, you've been part of a scam, according to Greencastle assistant police chief Ed Wilson. 

"Everyone is getting scammed anymore. The number one thing I can tell you is if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you've never been to Nigeria, you probably didn't win the lottery there. You probably don't have a long lost aunt in Ireland that passed away, left you a fortune and you have to pay the taxes on. That's probably not going to happen. If you have any questions, before you send any money or do anything, please contact us and we will walk you through it with good, solid advice. Once you send money to these folks, there is nothing we can do," Wilson told The Putnam County Post. 

In addition, Wilson urged residents to use caution as some have been scammed into paying to make a warrant go away. The veteran police officer admitted law enforcement will never call someone on the phone to discuss whether or not there is a warrant for their arrest. 

"We aren't going to call you and let you know you have a warrant and have you pay me over the phone to make it go away. Please don't fall for that. If you have a warrant, we will show up at your door or find you elsewhere. We aren't going to call you over the phone and ask for Apple paycards to make it go away. We will never call you over the phone and ask you to pay for anything. Law enforcement will see you in person or you pay for parking tickets online," Wilson said. 

There has also been a rise of work from home scams appearing on social media sites like Facebook, and Wilson again urges residents to use extreme caution. 

"You have to be really careful with those. Some of those are valid, and some are not. What I would say is do your homework. Again, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That is the number one flag that should pop up. Go online and do a Google search and see if it is a scam. Unfortunately, they prey on people who are down on their luck, but make sure you do your homework, take a step back and contact us if you have any questions," Wilson said. 

In addition to scams, Wilson said the department has been busy with day to day calls. 

"Everything is busy. We do have our normal everyday calls of domestics, property disputes and child custody matters. Luckily, those don't boil over worse than they could be. For the most part, it is pretty smooth. We are also busy with traffic stops, but as far as anything major in terms of things that have taken up a lot of time, it has stayed away and we like that," Wilson said. 

With the weather turning colder and the calendar moving into the final two months, Wilson said a lot of crime will move indoors. 

"We see a rise in domestics, as people are cooped up in homes and can't get out and about. With the state of the world and monetary values as they are, we see a lot of money problems boil over. We see a rise in auto thefts as we transition from the warmer months to the cooler months. People will warm up their cars and not lock them, and that becomes a treat for thieves to come along and snatch someone's car. We typically find those stripped down in Indianapolis," Wilson said.