In light of all the scams that are popping up either by the phone or over the computer, we feel that it
is important to pass on some suggestions of things to do and not to do to protect yourself and your
identity.
If you receive phone calls:
If you have caller ID and you don’t recognize the number, don’t answer it. Let the caller leave a
message, if they do, use your best judgment as to whether or not to return the call.
If you don’t have caller ID and you answer the phone to find yourself speaking with a person that you
do not recognize or are uncomfortable in continuing the conversation, it is perfectly acceptable to
simply hang up. Even if they have “identified” themselves as a government “agent” or “employee”
and something doesn’t make sense to you or makes you feel uneasy, do not give them any
information that they might request. Any true government representative will NOT call and request
personal information over the phone and they will NOT ever threaten you over the phone by giving
you a time frame in which to respond. If either of these occur simply hang up. No need to even to
respond further, this will only frustrate the caller and they will attempt to further intimidate you.
Information you should NEVER give over the phone, in an email, computer program or other
electronic device:
Date of Birth
Social Security Number
Checking/Savings Routing and/or Account numbers
Physical home address
Dates and/or Times of travel: routine habits such as daily work travel, weekly outings like the grocery
store, doctor visits, etc.
Any other family information – spouse, children, parents, etc.
It is recognized that many people have and will file their taxes electronically and participate in the
electronic banking system. These particular agencies have done due diligence in providing you with
the necessary security in order to provide you with these services. It is suggested that you are
yourself diligent in keeping passwords as highly encrypted as possible and not use common words,
names and dates that would be otherwise easy to figure out on the part of the hacker and to change
them frequently, such as every 90 days.
If you have become the victim of a scam by phone or by computer you can report your incident to
IC3.gov or if you would otherwise like more information or suggestions, contact the Louisa Police
Department at 540-967-3011, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.