scam

Orange County sheriff warns area residents of phone scams

Echoing caution expressed in recent weeks from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Orange County Sheriff Keith Merritt is warning local residents to beware of phone scams going on in the area. 

According to information from the Orange County Sheriff's Office (OCSO), with the holiday season in full swing, con artists are resorting to their old tricks to try to get folks to part with their hard-earned dollars.

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Entergy Texas reminder: Be wary of scam artists

Since last summer, scammers have continued to target Entergy customers in Texas and surrounding states. The con artist calls and tells the customer their electric bill payment is past due, and that service will be disconnected within the hour if payment isn’t made.

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Scammers targeting Entergy customers

Warning from the Orange County Sheriff's Office:

In recent weeks, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has received a rise in reports of scammers targeting Entergy customers.  Entergy is aware of the scam and has an Internet web page dedicated to this particular scam.  The link is: http://www.entergy.com/alerts/scam2.aspx

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JCSO warns of scam in area

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office has been alerted to a new scam that is active in our area. In this scam, a resident received a call from an individual that was claiming to be employed by the Jefferson County Fraud Department. The caller ID showed the name of Jefferson County Courthouse. This can be done by what is termed spoofing by utilizing an electronic device or website with Voice Over IP (VOIP). The caller requested personal information from the resident as part of an investigation.

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Free medical alert means new Medicare scam

Seniors all over Texas are receiving phone calls from individuals who want to make an appointment to come to your home and deliver a new Medical Alert that is all paid for by Medicare. But the truth is, Medicare does not pay for medical alert systems and this item is not free! This is merely a trick for you to give out personal information over the phone to strangers.

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Free Medical Alert scam aimed at Medicare recipients

Important press release from Texas SMP and The Better Business Bureau Education Foundation:

Seniors all over Texas are receiving phone calls from individuals who want to make an appointment to come to your home and deliver a new Medical Alert that is all paid for by

Medicare. But the truth is, Medicare does not pay for medical alert systems and this item is not free!  This is merely a trick for you to give out personal information over the phone to strangers.

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Scammed couple could lose home

Walter P. Landry, a World War II veteran, and his wife, Joyce, own a beautiful Port Arthur home. With red bricks and a red asphalt roof, the home’s decorative sidewalk is welcoming and the yard well kept. The Port Arthur breeze rushes through the towering oaks in the front yard, and the screened front porch tells of happy gatherings in front of the barbecue pit.

But the home, sitting vacant in an upscale area of Port Arthur, has a story to tell to seniors and their families in Southeast Texas.

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Anatomy of a scam

The invoice, in a white business envelope with a window on the front, looks legitimate. The first indication something is not quite right it is the postage mark indicating it is pre-sorted bulk mail – unusual for an invoice. The document itself, purporting to be from US-Telecom, looks like a standard invoice with your firm’s name and address, a reference number and a notation that you owe $425 for a Telecom Maintenance Agreement with the terms listed as “Net 30 Days.”

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Mass meeting to address tax scam victims

A scam targeting seniors and persons receiving disability benefits made its way through Jefferson County the past few months, with residents of Port Arthur impacted at a significant rate. Those perpetrating the scam duped victims by promising them access to a federal stimulus check, allegedly administered to all Social Security recipients, even though no such provision exists. Victims supplied the scammers with copies of their driver’s license, Social Security number, and banking information.

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