Phony Eviction Scam Reported In Wyoming
Two new scams are being reported in Sweetwater County, including one that uses a bogus eviction notice to introduce a virus into your computer.
Sweetwater County Sheriff's Department spokesman Dick Blust says the scam features a phony eviction notice which is emailed to victims purporting to be from the ''Rock Springs Sheriff's Office." The recipient is told to open an attachment to get more information on the bogus ''eviction." But doing so potentially introduces a computer virus.
Actual evictions under Wyoming law involve a detailed process that doesn't include emails from a sheriff's department.
Sheriff Mike Lowell says people should never, under any circumstances, click on an attachment from an unknown source, but should instead delete the email immediately.
The second scam which has been reported involves a very realistic-looking certified letter from the ''Palm Beach Liquidation Gallery'' in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The letter tells people that they have been selected to ''acquire an exclusive liquidation asset'' that has been appraised at a value of over $500.
People who get the letter are further told that if they fork over a fee of $161.25, they will not only get the original item but will be entitled to a payout "compendium of over $350,000."
But the compendium turns out to be nothing more than a list of unawarded cash prizes.
Sheriff Lowell says people are being fooled by the certified letter in the scam, but adds they shouldn't be. Anyone can send a certified letter, and doing so doesn't make the information the letter contains legitimate. He also reminds people that legitimate prize awards are made without any advance charges.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you are highly unlikely to win large prizes that you have never applied for.