July 27, 2009

Senator Taylor Urges Caution Against Scams

Beware of Things Too Good to be True

(MADISON) Senator Lena Taylor is urging her constituents and the residents of Wisconsin to be cautious of scams. A recent flood of constituent phone calls, letters, and meetings have revealed that many are seeking to prey on those who are not careful.

“Every day, identity theft happens to an innocent person. The sad part is that it can damage your credit permanently and can take years to clean up,” said Senator Taylor.  “You should never give out personal or sensitive information over the phone.  Shred your statements.  Watch your back.  Ask for clarity. And if you believe something is suspicious, take down the information from the caller and give our office a call.”

Recent examples of scams have included phone calls and letters to homeowners who are behind on their house payments.  The caller will claim to be from an organization that has purchased the mortgage from the bank, and they will attempt to collect the homeowner’s banking information because of the new relationship.  Other phone calls from constituents have shed light on scams to help those with large amounts of credit card debt.  They claim that President Obama’s stimulus package, the Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, offers people “the right” to get out of their credit card debt once and for all.  Additional complaints have been filed against so-called agencies that promise to delivery “federal stimulus payments,” but only if the person provides their social security number to prove their eligibility and their bank accounts for direct deposit.

In addition to the services the Senator’s office can provide, those with concerns can file complaints with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection by logging on to http://www.datcp.state.wi.us or calling (608) 224-4949.

Senator Taylor’s office can be contacted at 1-888-326-6673.