As a favor to your readers, it may be important to know that this time of year is notorious for “scams” and an increasing number of crimes over the telephone and internet.

Just last week, we received a call from a foreign-speaking person who had our name, telephone number and detailed account information from our cable company. We were told they were offering a special promotion to existing customers which would lock in a discount rate for a two-year term and included their premium package of additional movie channels.

We could take advantage of this limited offer by sending a pre-paid cash card in the amount of the first year subscription rate to a specific person at a toll-free number.

The call was received from a person named “Tony” claiming to be with AT&T DIRECTV.

What first sounded like a legitimate offer with significant savings over the two-year contract later turned out to be a scam being operated by an illegal telemarketing organization. They even obtained our personal account information to help “verify” the call.

Fortunately, a call to the actual provider confirmed this was indeed a scam.

When we reported this to local authorities, we were told that they have received a large number of scam reports in recent weeks, just as many persons start to receive their tax refunds. We understand the sweepstakes scam is also going around again.

Let the buyer beware. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

— Janis Smith

Salisbury