Be wary of scams:
Lake County residents are reminded there are several ongoing scams during the holidays, with the most common being a person who identifies themselves as an IRS agent. The "agent" tells the person they owe back taxes and directs them to purchase cash cards or "money packs." Once those have been purchased, the scammer empties the card. In another common scam, someone who identifies themselves as an attorney from Canada or elsewhere, claims to represent a relative who needs money to get out of jail. The person is directed to purchase cash cards and the money is stolen. The scams are being perpetrated by sophisticated organized criminal organizations and are nearly impossible to track. Most of these scams originate in India, Africa and assorted Asian countries with some from the U.S. If anyone calls claiming to need any form of payment via cash card, bank account or credit card information hang up and notify police.