Police warn of scam letters and checks

The Calhoun Police Department issued a warning to the public this week about a scam involving seemingly official letters and checks being sent to the homes and businesses of community members promising a portion of the funds in exchange for purchased gift cards.

“The letter gives detailed instructions on the steps you must take in order to keep a portion of the money,” a statement posted to the department’s Facebook page read. “The letter tells you to deposit the (counterfeit) check into your back account, withdraw the money, then purchase gift cards at local discount stores and pharmacies. You are instructed to photograph the cards front and back, then forward the photo by email to numbers listed on the letter.”

A sample version of the letter shared by the department appears to come from an organization calling itself “A Customer’s Point of View” and invites readers to take part in the “Walmart & CVS Store Cashier Service Evaluation.” This evaluation, the letter claims, will sniff out “staff misconduct, overcharging and lapses at several grocery store outlets” and problems with cashiers activating prepaid or gift cards without requiring the assistance of a supervisor.

Officers say this is a “total scam” and that those who participate “will be out” the entire sum deposited into accounts used to purchase gift cards.

“This theft occurs by telephone where the caller poses as a debt collector, law enforcement officer of an IRS Agent,” the statement read. “It also occurs over the internet where they claim to be someone from your bank or credit card companies.”

Tuesday’s warning comes just two weeks after Calhoun police warned the community to keep an eye out for cyber theft following numerous complaints of fraud. In those earlier cases, locals were receiving phone calls from individuals claiming to work for a bank or other financial institution in an attempt to steal personal identifying information, as well as banking and other financial information.

Anyone who believes that they have been the victim of a suspicious telephone call, email or letter should contact the Calhoun Police Department by calling 706629-1234 to speak with an officer before taking any action.

ATLANTA — The General Assembly gave final passage Thursday to a $26.5 billion fiscal 2021 mid-year budget that covers state spending through June 30.

The state House of Representatives passed the spending plan 165-4. The Georgia Senate then approved it unanimously less than an hour later.

While lawmakers signed off on most of the spending recommendations Gov. Brian Kemp made last month, legislative leaders worked with the governor to add $60 million to provide one-time $1,000 raises to more than 57,000 state employees earning less than $80,000 per year.

Kemp’s original mid-year budget already had earmarked $1,000 raises for Georgia teachers and school staff including cafeteria workers, custodians and resource personnel.

Front-line state workers including public health nurses, troopers, road crews and child welfare caseworkers deserve raises after stepping up during the coronavirus pandemic, said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Terry England.

“They don’t have the option to only be virtual,” said England, R-Auburn. “They have to have face-to-face contact. … Their jobs aren’t glamorous. But they’re there every day.”

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, said the $1,000 bonuses will be funded by a mix of federal dollars and savings from higher Medicaid payments the federal government has been making amid the pandemic.

The mid-year budget, which now heads to Kemp for his signature, restores $567 million of $950 million in cuts to K-12 schools the General Assembly imposed last year as state tax revenues slowed due to the economic impact of the pandemic. Another $73.6 million will go to restore cuts lawmakers made to the University System of Georgia.

The legislature also supported the governor’s recommendation for $20 million to expand broadband service in rural Georgia.

As the mid-year spending plan went through the review process, lawmakers added funds to support 10% raises for correctional officers in both the state prison and juvenile detention systems to help stem alarming turnover rates.

The final version of the midyear budget also includes additions of $40 million to buy 520 new school buses and $11 million in bond funds repurposed to help the state Department of Public Health train workers in providing COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine reservations.

Lawmakers added $3 million to the $1 million already appropriated to help Georgia’s tourism industry recover following the pandemic. Most of the additional funds will go to the Georgia World Congress Center, which lost all of its convention business to the virus, England said.

The House and Senate also agreed to add $455,000 for domestic violence and assault centers and set aside $100,000 to help the Georgia Department of Labor deal with a huge influx of unemployment claims brought on by the pandemic.