Local law enforcement are warning city and county residents to watch out for two scams: skimming devices on gas pumps and phone calls from overseas. Over the past few weeks, detectives in Cheatham County and Ashland City have taken reports about both problems.
According to Detective Jason Matlock, Ashland City Police, several city residents reported a skimming device at the Circle K convenience store at 545 S. Main St. Matlock said the device was removed, and the U.S. Secret Service’s Electronic Crimes Task Force took possession of it for further investigation.
Authorities said a skimming device was reportedly found in the Coopertown area of Robertson County, not far from Pleasant View. Pleasant View Police Chief Tad Wheeler said customers can help protect themselves by only using their debit cards as credit during a transaction, looking for anything suspicious around the card reader on the pump, and make sure the pump has been recently serviced by the state.
Investigators with the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office have also received several reports of people getting scam phone calls from overseas. The calls showed on their phones as originating from Sierra Leone, or the 222-area code. According to Lt. Ken Miller, do not answer any calls from numbers you don’t know, and definitely do not call the number back, as these calls are international calls and very costly.
If you or someone you know has dealt with any of these scams, give your local law enforcement agency a call.
