Police warn residents about telephone scam

The Daily Inter Lake

Kalispell police are warning people about a scam that has generated calls to law enforcement this week.

On Wednesday, a resident reported getting a call from a business claiming to be a national verification service, allegedly trying to protect the resident's bank account from being raided. The resident's information has been placed on a public data base and the caller promised to remove it for free if the resident confirmed account information. The resident declined.

Another resident heard from a business claiming to be Priority Savings Group and requesting bank information. The resident didn't release it.

"It appears this group may be targeting the elderly," said police detective Sgt. Brian Fulford.

"I think the public as a whole is getting better educated," he said.

People should never give out their bank information to callers or to people who contact them on the Internet for it, he said.

"If there is the least suspicion, call local law enforcement or your bank," Fulford said.

People who have divulged that information and wonder if they're safe should "take immediate action," he said. That usually means closing out a compromised bank account and opening a new one.

Fulford said foreign-sounding voices are often clues that callers from "across the country or outside the country" are behind the calls.

Those who have received questionable calls should tell their friends and neighbors, Fulford said.