Police warn of tax rebate scam

The Ventura County Sheriff's Department is warning residents to be aware of current scams promising tax rebates or other government refunds. Recently detectives became aware of an apparent scam in which the caller sought bank account information from a resident of Nyeland Acres.

The caller said the information was needed to ensure a quick refund of the wellpublicized federal rebate. The resident provided her information and then became a victim of theft when someone withdrew money from her account without her permission.

Similar scams have taken place with the promise of a deposit into the credit card accounts of victims. In these cases victims provided the caller with their credit card numbers and then experienced unauthorized charges against the account.

Residents should be suspicious of anyone who calls or emails and requests bank account information with the promise to deposit money into their account. As a general practice this information should never be given out over the phone unless the caller's legitimacy is absolutely certain.

Some of these scam artists have become very high-tech. They often have websites and answering services that would make them appear to be legitimate businesses. It has been reported that some alter audio recordings of the victim's conversation in an effort to make it look like the victim consented to the withdrawals from their bank accounts.

If someone discovers that they have been the victim of one of these scams they are advised to report it to their local law enforcement agency. Often these crimes are federal offenses that fall under the jurisdiction of federal agencies.

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information which leads to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. To make a report, please call Crime Stoppers at (805) 495-TALK (8255).