With the growing number of scams, KCSD Sheriff Rocky Goshert was invited to talk about scam prevention with class members at Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church Sunday.

KOSCIUSKO — The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department reminds citizens to be mindful that financial scams are a daily occurrence. The department was asked this weekend to present some tips to avoid scams to a local group of citizens. The following are some simple tips for all of use to avoid becoming a victim of these crimes.

• Do not give out personal information to anyone over the phone. 
• Do not complete or verify information for a supposed service representative. If they provide you with partial information do not follow up with any further information.
• Ask the person to mail you the information instead of you providing your personal information on that initial call. Remember unless you were the one to initiate the call you are not affected by that service or the deal anyway.
• If you are contacted to make some sort of payment with a prepaid card of any type it should be considered suspicious.
• Government agencies will be glad to meet with you at their office they will not demand you take care of any fee or fines over the phone. It is tax time the IRS will make contact by mail payments are not required by phone. Contact the IRS directly with any questions.
• Bonds and court costs will need to be handled in person. Phone calls asking for these from family members need to be verified with the institution and other family members.
• Any contact that seems too good to be true probably is. Any lottery or sweepstakes that is legitimate will have a home office that you can visit to claim a prize, and paying up front for a prize is an immediate indicator that the communication is a scam.
• Any communication originating from an organization outside the United States should immediately be suspected as fraudulent.

Contact the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department if you have any questions or concerns about possible scams at (574) 267-5667