Photo by Lisa Pepe
SPD Lt. Ryan Burrell educates the members of the Suffield Woman’s Club on scams and fraud and how to avoid them.
The Suffield Woman’s Club (SWC) welcomed Lt. Burrell of the Suffield Police Department to their meeting in February. Lt. Burrell’s presentation was ‘Scams and Frauds and How to Avoid Them and Protect Your Identity’. He addressed a number of phone scams such as someone posing as an IRS representative saying if you don’t pay your delinquent taxes right now a warrant will be issued for your arrest. He said the IRS does not contact you by phone nor threaten to arrest you.
Another very common scam is when a young person poses as your grandchild saying they are on spring break, got into some trouble and will be put in prison if you don’t send bail money right now. This person will tell you not to tell anyone. Lt. Burrell said February and especially March is the time for this type of scam because it is college spring break season. So what do you do? He told the members to make sure to call your grandchild’s cell phone or their parents and find out if it is true. Never send money without doing research. And if you get a call saying you won something and all you have to do is pay the taxes then it is a scam. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is a scam.
If you ever get into your car and notice there is a piece of paper stuck to your rear window, drive safely to another area of the parking lot or somewhere else to remove it. This scam has someone waiting close by who could either steal your purse, phone or car when you get out.
After addressing several more scams he gave many tips on how to protect your identity and provided us with handouts. The SWC members asked many questions and thoroughly enjoyed Lt. Burrell’s presentation.
The guest speaker for the March 15 meeting is Phil Klein, the dog listener. He will help us better understand our 4-legged, furry friends. Please join us at 12:30 at Father Ted Hall on Wed., March 15 for this fun event.
The SWC is accepting new members. If you are interested in serving the community with us, call Membership Chair Jean Neagle, 860-668-1876. The SWC is a proud member of the GFWC/CT.