e e r F
news/advertiser Wednesday February 26, 2020
Contact The Chronicle Phone: 503-397-0116 chroniclenews@ countrymedia.net
2 MORE WEEKS !
Truckload Meat Sale
Save the date March 12th and 13th
Contact The Chief
Phone: 503-728-3350 chiefnews@ countrymedia.net
1111 Columbia Blvd, St Helens, OR 97051 • 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. • (503) 397-2288
Below is a list of WHERE to pick up a copy of the print edition of the News-Advertiser. This list is expanding every month as we add more cafes, restaurants, and stores across Columbia County. Also available every week at: thechronicleonline.com and thechiefnews.com • BEST WESTERN • CHUBBS CHEVRON • ENGSTROM CHEVRON • ICHABODS • ROAD RUNNER • JACKPOT 76 • NELSONS’ NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET & DELI • WALMART
• SHERLOCK’S GROCERY • YANKTON STORE • MARKET FRESH • SUNSHINE PIZZA • KOZY KORNER • 2CS • MOLLYS MARKET • WALGREENS
• ZATTERBURG’S GROCERY • DEER ISLAND GAS STATION • COLUMBIA CITY GROCERY & GAS • ACE (SCAPPOOSE) • ACE (ST. HELENS) • DONS RENTAL
• S.C. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • VILLAGE INN • B&B MARKET • SMOKE SHOP • GROCERY OUTLET (SCAPPOOSE) • FRED MEYER • DOLLAR GENERAL
• WARREN COUNTRY INN • ST. HELENS LIBRARY • ST. HELENS SENIOR CENTER • CHEVRON • GROCERY OUTLET (RAINIER) • EL TAPATIO
• CORNERSTONE CAFÉ • ALSTON MARKET • CLATSKANIE FULTANOS • CLATSKANIE MARKET • CLATSKANIE IXTAPA • DEALS & DISCOUNTS • CLATSKANIE HI SCHOOL PHARMACY • CLATSKANIE SAFEWAY
Local, state fraud alerts issued Originally published in The Chronicle Vol. 138 February 19, 2020 JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
Local law enforcement and the Oregon Department of Justice are issuing new consumer alerts about scams designed to steal your money. The first fraud warning involves an 80-year old widower who lost $200,000 in a catfishing, or fraud incident. According to Division officials, the unidentified fraudster stole a Florida woman’s identity to befriend the Oregonian through an online dating service and persuaded him to send money for a business opportunity. Over several months, the con artist convinced the elderly man that they were in a long-distance romantic relationship, and proposed an opportunity to support an art gallery in Florida. The scammer pretended to seek investors to cover $5 million in transportation costs to ship a 500-ton marble lion sculpture from China. The con artist promised that investments would be returned plus a percentage of the profits from the sale of the sculpture. The widower even received fabricated documents detailing the contract with the museum and bank statements. Relying on the documents and his romantic relationship, the victim made a series of payments over five months to various individuals and overseas bank accounts totaling more than $200,000. The widower lost his entire investment and investigators have been unable to locate the scammer. “Romance scams typically target older individuals, gain their trust, then ask for money through social
Photo courtesy of Hilliard Brad
In the catfishing fraud, officials said the scammer pretended to seek investors to cover $5 million in transportation costs to ship a 500-ton marble lion sculpture from China.
media and dating websites,” Oregon Division of Financial Regulation Division Administrator Andrew Stolfi said. “Unfortunately, victims often wire funds overseas or to third-party transfer agents, making it difficult to track the money and identify the con artist.” The Division encourages consumers to do their homework before making any investment. To protect yourself from getting catfished or falling for an investment scam, follow these tips: • Do not send money to anyone you have not met in person, and be cautious about sharing personal or financial information. • Do not transfer money to unknown people or intermediaries. If you need to use a third party to send money, use a licensed money transmitter. • Keep copies of all communications with scammers and report them to the division, the online dating site, the local police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Trade Commission.
St. Helens phone scam In St. Helens, local police are alerting consumers of the latest telephone scam in which the person making the phone call is demanding money from citizens. The caller threatens to contact a Detective Thomas Williams with the St. Helens Police Department if the person does not pay the money. “Phone scams demanding money and threatening legal action are very common nowadays,” according to a release posted on the St. Helens Police Facebook page. The post advises anyone receiving such a call to: • Never commit to making any kind of payment over the phone without first verifying the legitimacy of the call. • Never give personal information over the phone without first verifying the legitimacy of the call The St. Helens Police Facebook post also said that an unexpected phone call demanding money is a red flag. • Don’t believe your caller ID. Caller ID can be made
to look like the phone call is coming from a company, government agency, or person that you are familiar with. Police advise that if you receive an unexpected call demanding immediate payment or personal information, hang up the phone. You can always call the company, agency, or person back at a number that you know to be genuine to verify if you owe money. If you suspect a scam, but aren’t sure what to do, call the St. Helens Police Department’s non-emergency dispatch at 503-397-1521 and ask to speak with an officer. The Oregon Justice Department’s Kristina Edmunson said the last few months of 2019, fraud involving store discount coupon scams were among consumer complaints. “These have been around for a couple of years and they’ve grown traction though social media sites, mostly Facebook,” Edmunson said. “To access the coupons you have to enter a lot of personal information, such as your name, address
and email.” Edmonton said once the scammers have such personal information you likely will receive a call from them. “They call you out of the blue with some sort of wild story like you have won a free car but they say they need more of your personal information first,” she said. “We are consistently reminding people, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is and this is one of those that is spot on.” Another phone scam that has been circulating in Oregon involves a caller asking for $70 to provide you with birth and death certificates, but the certificates never arrive after consumers send in the money. U.S. Census concerns A possible fraud that the Oregon Justice Department is closely reviewing involves the U.S. Census. “The Republican National Committee has been mailing forms to the public that look like U.S. census forms and they ask for $15 to process
your census form,” Edmunson said. “In reality, your $15 is a contribution to the Republican Party.” Edmonton said such a political contribution request is questionable. “The official census surveys do not cost money to complete,” Edmunson said. “We urge you to carefully read such documents and you will see that the questionable forms are mailed by a political party. I think we are gong to see more frauds related to the census.” Scammers have learned that a vast majority of older adults control the vast majority of wealth and they are easy to find, according to Edmunson, who said scammers also market younger people and children through apps. Edmuson said the scammers are clever. They use a variety of techniques to get your personal information and your money, and many times they are making the calls from overseas. “It is really tough to track them down and often times they are in countries that don’t care and that is our struggle,” Edmunson said. “That’s why the Oregon Attorney General has put so much in education. It is really heartbreaking to hear that people have lost a lot of money. In many cases the money is gone.” For more information and tips about investing, visit dfr.oregon.gov/financial/investments. Consumers can also contact the division’s advocates at 888-877-4894 (toll-free) to ask questions, file complaints, or check the license of a company or advisor. The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. For more information, visit www.dcbs. oregon.gov or call 503-3784100.
2020 CHRONICLE
VENDORS WANTED Contact Amy at 503-397-0116 or atrull@countrymedia.net April 18th and 19th. Booth reservation deadline: April 8
SPONSORED BY
PRESENTED BY
The Chronicle