In the last week, several scams victimized Yavapai County residents and in some cases, resulting in a large monetary loss. Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Dwight D’Evelyn says in the Publisher’s Clearing House Scam, an 80-year-old Prescott man reported sending $3000 in cash to an address in Illinois after receiving a phone call from ‘John Hill’ who claimed to be a Publishers Clearing House representative. D’Evelyn says a 34-year-old Prescott woman told deputies she received a call from ‘Officer Hart’ with the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office notifying her of a warrant just issued ‘today.’ This is known as the Warrant Scam. When she pressed him for something in writing he hung up. He also says, while working on her computer, a 76-year-old woman fell victim to the Microsoft Repair Scam when she received a ‘pop up’ message on her screen advising the computer was blocked and gave a phone number for the Microsoft IT Department. The victim called and spoke with a ‘technician’ who had an accent from the country of India and was eventually charged $250 to ‘repair’ her computer. D’Evelyn asks that residents share this information with seniors and vulnerable adults who are the primary targets of these scam artists.
