June 4, 4:21 a.m.
Public Safety
Microsoft has put out a special consumer alert to warn about bogus computer security engineers making cold calls to convince people their computers are at risk for a security threat. The phonies offer a free security check over the phone in an effort to get you to give them remote access to your computer for a supposed diagnosis and fix. Once they have remote access, they will download software to your computer that basically allows them to steal money from your accounts.
May 28, 6:02 p.m.
The best way to prevent skin cancer is to protect your skin from the sun and other sources of ultraviolet rays.
The grandparent scam is so simple and so devious because it uses one of older adults’ most reliable assets, their hearts. Scammers will place a call to an older person and when the mark picks up, they will say something along the lines of “Hi grandma, do you know who this is?”
Sweepstakes and lottery scams are simple and one that many people are familiar with. They capitalize on the notion that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Here, scammers inform their mark they have won a lottery or sweepstakes of some kind and need to make some sort of payment to unlock the supposed prize.
Boulder City Police Chief Tim Shea, right, swears in new city marshal Michael Krause on Monday, May 13, at City Hall. Krause retired as a detective from the Dearborn Heights Police Department in Michigan. He will be working at the municipal courthouse and City Hall, as well as at other city events.
There has been a significant uptick in fraud telephone calls from people claiming to represent the Social Security Administration. In them, unknown callers threaten victims that they face arrest or other legal action if they fail to call a provided phone number or press the number indicated in the message to address the issue.
Scammers like to take advantage of the fact that many people above a certain age own their homes, thereby providing a valuable asset that increases the potential dollar value of certain scams.
Seniors who live alone in their own homes are cautioned to be wary of “woodchucks” or fake home contractors who gain their confidence and then charge huge amounts of money for unnecessary work.
