State’s Attorney Charlie Smith had a great time talking to our Senior Center audience in Urbana tonight! We will be back in Urbana again Wednesday at 11:30 for another presentation on Elder Fraud.
IMPORTANT INFO: FCSO is seeing a number of phone scams right now in Frederick County.‼️ SCAM INFO ‼️
In an effort to remain vigilant in making Frederick County residents aware of ongoing phone scams, FCSO would like to keep citizens informed on some of the trends that have been reported the most.
Recently, individuals have been receiving phone calls from spoofed numbers coming from local County numbers, such as the Sheriff’s Office main number (301-600-1046) and the Frederick County Health Department main number (301-600-1029). A scammer using the Sheriff’s Office number may pose as a law enforcement official such as a Lieutenant or Sergeant and tell you that you need to report to the Sheriff’s Office for a warrant. They then often tell you that if you want to avoid that, you can pay them a certain amount through purchasing gift cards and giving them the codes or possibly even asking for bank or credit card information. Calls being spoofed from the Frederick County Health Department’s main number often tell people that they have lost benefits, Medicaid, or are being asked to pay something. If you feel the call is suspicious, but are unsure because of the use of a legitimate County phone number, we encourage you to hang up and re-dial the number and attempt to confirm any information that was given to you.
When you do this, you will be calling the actual number and will be able to speak to a legitimate representative.
The Sheriff’s Office also regularly sees phone scams that are requesting access to computers. Often these callers will tell you that there is a virus on your computer and they need access to fix it. When scammers gain remote access in, they steal identity and account information.
Additionally, scammers may try to tell you that a grandchild or someone close to you has been arrested and needs bail money. They will often try and direct you to buy a specific amount of gift cards such as Google Play, Amazon, or iTunes.
Scammers may also call you and say they are with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and have warrants out for your arrest, there has been a problem with your tax return, etc. They will try to access your bank account information over the phone. Always remember that the IRS never conducts business by phone, only through mail.
The best course of action is to ignore these calls or to not engage with the caller any further if you think it is suspicious. Citizens are encouraged to share this information with friends and family so that they do not become victims of a phone scam.
The Sheriff’s Office is reminding citizens to always be on the alert for telemarketing scams and to report suspicious activity to their local law enforcement agency. Never provide anyone with personal information such as bank accounts, pin numbers, or Social Security numbers over the phone. For additional tips about how to protect yourself from some of the most common telemarketing schemes, visit www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-fraud-schemes.
Travis James Eddins Sentenced for 1st Degree Rape
FREDERICK- On Thursday, June 20, 2019, Travis James Eddins, 39, of Frederick, MD was sentenced by the Honorable Judge Scott L. Rolle to Life with all but 40 years suspended in the Division of Corrections after his conviction for 1st Degree Rape on August 2, 2018. Upon release from the Division of Corrections, he must undergo 5 years of supervised probation, and register as a sex offender for life.
On December 8, 2017, the victim in this case reported to police that she was raped by Travis Eddins inside a tent, located off Highland Street in Frederick during the early morning hours. The victim and her boyfriend had slept in the tent with Eddins the night before, but when her boyfriend left for work in the morning, she was left alone with Eddins. The victim stated that Eddins choked her to the point of blacking out, and threatened her life. He then proceeded to rape her. She was treated at Frederick Memorial Hospital for injuries consistent with near fatal strangulation. DNA evidence, which linked the defendant to the victim, was crucial to this case.
The State was represented by Assistant State’s Attorneys Tammy Leache and Kyle Kane.
Thank you to our Brunswick Senior Center audience today! We look forward to seeing everyone at the Urbana Senior Center next week for our presentation on Elder Fraud.
State's Attorney Charlie Smith and a large group from the Frederick SAO are attending this week's Maryland State's Attorney's Association Summer Conference in Ocean City. The training includes presentations on Legislative, Appellate, and Fourth Amendment case updates. There were also special presentations on Cell Tower Technology and Prosecuting Gang and Murder Cases.