Madison PD warns residents that scams are on the rise

MADISON – The Madison Police Department sent out an alert today letting residents know “scammers are on the rise”.

“We have received reports of numerous scams in our area where callers are requesting that victims pay fraudulent bills or fines using prepaid credit cards,” said MPD Community Relations Officer Teresa Taylor-Duncan. “Huntsville Utilities and Madison Utilities do not call with threats of disconnect. Grandchildren rarely have “agents” call to ask for bail money in the form of prepaid credit cards.”

Taylor-Duncan said scammers are also mailing unsolicited checks with instructions for the payee (victim) to cash the check and return a small portion of the amount to the payor (scammer) for taxes, shipping, or handling fees. “These checks are fraudulent and your bank will charge your account for the full amount of the insufficient funds,” she said.

For more information regarding the multitude of scams, click here.