Sheriff reports on various scams perpetrated in area

Reports of different types of scams have been received recently by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.

In a telephone scam, the caller pretends to represent a bank refund agency. In order to receive the refund, the individual has to supply the caller with his banking information, which enables the caller to withdraw money from the account.

Tied in with this scam is one that is perpetrated using the Internet.

According to a spokesman for the sheriff's office, "Using the mark's banking information, criminals, mostly in Nigeria, will order all sorts of items including printing cartridges, computers, and computer accessories. These scam artists will have the items shipped to the victim's address and then e-mail the individual, asking him to act as a transfer agent and forward the packages to Nigeria.

"In exchange for his trouble, the Nigerian criminals promise to reimburse the mark for the cost of sending the packages overseas as well as give him additional funds for his assistance," the spokesman continued.

Another scam involves fraudulent checks mailed to individuals on behalf of bogus lottery companies.

"The lottery company will mail the victim a letter with a check enclosed," explained the spokesman from the sheriff's office. "The letter instructs the individual to deposit the check and send the lottery company enough money to take care of the taxes on his winnings. The taxes can amount to as much as $2,500. Then, when the check bounces, the unsuspecting victim owes the bank his 'winnings' as well as the 'taxes.'"

Some tips that will help Lincoln County residents avoid becoming the victims of a scam include:

.. If you have not played the lottery, do not respond to any communications from a lottery company. Most importantly, do not cash checks from people you do not know.

.. If you receive an e-mail from someone you do not know, do not respond.

.. If you receive a shipment from an unknown source, report it immediately to the sheriff's office.

.. Do not give out banking information over the telephone under any circumstances.

.. Do not give out banking information in response to e-mails you did not initiate.

Anyone who feels he has been the victim of one or more of these scams should contact the sheriff's office at 706-359-7320/4118. He should also report the crime to the FBI at www.ic3.gov.

The sheriff office's activity report for June included:

Calls for service - 75. Traffic accidents - 21. Thefts and burglaries - 9. Arrests - 64.

.. Precinct 2 - The Lincoln Center at 160 May Avenue.

.. Precinct 3-A - Faith Temple, which is situated at the intersection of the Thomson Highway and Leathersville Road.

.. Precinct 3-B - Tabernacle Baptist Church, located near the intersection of Highway 220 West and the Augusta Highway.

.. Precinct 4-A - Bethany United Methodist Church on Bethany Church Road.

.. Precinct 4-B - The voting booth beside Tankersley's Store on Double Branches Road.

Residents who are physically disabled or 75 years of age or older may vote without waiting in line between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Citizens should also keep in mind that "advance voting" at the Lincoln County Board of Elections and Registration Office, located in The Lincoln Center, will continue through Friday, July 13.

Advance voting allows an individual to cast his ballot in person at the elections office from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. the week prior to an election. No reason or explanation is required.

It must be noted that citizens may not advance vote the Monday preceding the election.

Concerning absentee ballots, the deadline for requesting that an absentee ballot be mailed to one's residence is Friday, July 13.

Applications for absentee ballots must contain the voter's name, address, date of birth, and signature; the name and date of the election; the address to which the ballot is to be mailed if different from the registered address; and a contact telephone number.

The applicant does not have to provide a reason for voting by absentee ballot.

However, requests for absentee ballots must be made in writing. The written statements may be faxed to 1-706-359-7396 or hand-delivered to the elections and registration office.

In a departure from the past, all absentee ballots should be returned to the elections office by 5 p.m. the day prior to the election. Ballots received after 7 p.m. on Election Day will be rejected unless they meet certain state requirements. Moreover, only the elector is allowed to handdeliver his ballot, unless he is disabled.

For more information about the voting process, contact the Lincoln County Elections and Registration Office at 706-359-6126. Residents are also invited to visit the office's new website at www.lincolncountygaelections.com.

The trial website contains general information on elections, changes to election laws, legal notices, sample ballots, recent and archived election results, monthly county voter registration statistics, and so forth. The website will be monitored periodically for traffic flow to determine if continued use of the site