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Clarksville Police Department To Post Scams Regularly To Warn Residents

Posted at 5:16 PM, Sep 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-13 19:58:22-04

Officials with the Clarksville Police Department said they have planned to post reports of scams to the department's Facebook page regularly to help warn and educate residents.

It can be described as a bulletin with the goal of presenting different kinds of scams daily. 

On average, the police department has received up to five scams each week. 

"There's nothing new about scams, but we got to try to do something. We can't stop people from doing scams but we can stop people from being victims," Jim Knoll of the Clarksville Police Department told NewsChannel 5.

Knoll said solving schemes has been pretty rare because the scammers are typically targeting from out of town.

He has hoped the regular posts will not only educate but motivate residents to share their stories.

"We don't put anybody's name out there, we just say what it was. Everyday, if I see scams come in, I'm going to paraphrase so I can put them in here, so people can see them," Knoll added.

Clarksville police released ways to avoid being scammed:

  • Work on the premise that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
  • Let the answering machine pick up calls from numbers you don't know.
  • Law enforcement will not ask you to send money to a bank account. Contact your local law enforcement agency if in doubt.
  • If someone calls about a family member and is requesting money, verify the family member's identity.
  • Oftentimes, scammers are high pressure and will attempt to force you to act then. Resist the temptation until you can research.
  • Make sure your virus or pop-up protection is in place.
  • The internet provides a wealth of information for research, and someone can use it to gather your personal information.
  • Make sure all family members are aware of the existence of scams, and be sure they know to question out of the ordinary calls. 
  • Check online, if you have the capability, and you will often find scams as identified.