205 W 5th Ave Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887
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Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 04/11/2022 - The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office was recently called by UPS Security services in Rhode Island when they detected a package containing thousands of dollars in cash shipped by an elderly person in Kittitas County. Deputies interviewed the person who sent the cash and quickly recognized they were the victim of a common phone scam demanding ‘bail money’ for some supposed younger relative in a distant place. This time, the cash was returned to the victim of the scam. We’re grateful to UPS Security for catching it.
Sadly, many scams and frauds against the elderly go undetected—adding up to billions of dollars each year. Many such cases are never even reported—either because the elderly victim doesn’t know they’ve been scammed or because they’re embarrassed at having been victimized. Criminal scammers may also use intimidation tactics or threats to keep victims quiet. Scams targeting the elderly come in many forms—through phone calls, the internet, and saddest of all, from people they know. The best defense against fraud for the elderly is family caregivers who are in touch and looking out for them. Here are five tips for preventing fraud against those you care about:
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact: Chris Whitsett509-962-7625christopher.whitsett@co.kittitas.wa.us