By Staff
Melissa Cason
RED BAY – Police Chief Pat Creel warned the public of scams during the regular council meeting Monday night.
"I currently have 46 checks in my possession, and they are all linked to scams," Creel told the council. "Some of the residents here in Red Bay are being taken advantage of."
Creel said he could not release specific information on the scams under investigation in Red Bay, but he said he wanted to warn the general public that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
"I am actively involved with this investigation," Creel said. "The people who are getting hurt are our senior citizens. We have a dim view of this, and I am going to do everything in my power to see that these cases are prosecuted."
Creel said there are a number of scams out there, and many of them are Internet based. A popular scam going around is the eBay scam. People who are selling items on eBay are the target. Once the item or items are sold, the buyer sends a check for more than the amount indicated, and asks the seller to return the difference less a few for their time and effort. The problem is the check cannot clear the bank because it's not authentic. The seller is stuck paying the amount.
"I know it's hard to imagine getting sucked into one of these scams, but people do," Creel said. "I had one resident last week get angry with me because I would not let her send $1,000 so she could collect her $90,000 in prize money."
Creel warns that there a lot of people out there trying to get your money, and he asks that residents be careful who they provide with personal information.
Also during the meeting Fire Chief Bud Strickland gave the council the information requested on purchasing a mini-pumper for the fire department. Strickland found a 1978 model for $11,000 with a payment arrangement worked out. The issue was presented at the April 20 council meeting. During the meeting, Mike Stockton asked that Strickland research the Internet to see what else was out there.
"I've looked at several different trucks out, and everything is outrageous," Strickland said.
The council voted to table the issue Monday night because of Stockton's absence. The mini-pumper will be used with the department's Jaws of Life apparatus.
In other business, the council voted to:
*accept the annual report from the Municipal Water Pollution Prevention.
*re-appointed Jane Williams and Donna Overton to the cemetery board for another term beginning May 9.
*approve the roadblock for the Red Bay Class of 2010 to hold a roadblock in September to raise money for their spring senior trip.
*hire Tracie Bolding as the concession stand employee at $7 per hour.
*allow Mayor Bobby Forsythe to seek and secure funding for the sewer system. Forsythe said the city will be getting economic stimulus money to help cover the cost of the sewer upgrades. The city will have to borrow what the grant doesn't cover. The city must have the sewer problems fixed by September per the consent order from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
Forsythe announced the city will be accepting applications for a street department employee until Friday, May 8 at 4 p.m.
The next regular council meeting will be held Monday, May 18 at 7 p.m.