Not everyone who wants to rip you off will be wearing a mask or carrying a gun.

They don’t always break in your door and steal your valuables.

As one Selma woman discovered recently, sometimes they call on the phone and ask for personal information, such as bank account numbers.

This particular woman was smart enough to refuse to give out such information over the phone, however, she said the caller was very professional and business-like.

He said he was the bank manager and that there had been a mistake made involving her checking account.

There are those in our community – particularly the elderly – who are susceptible to such con artists.

Identity theft is a growing problem in most communities, and ours is no exception.

There are some precautions you can take:

& Never give out any personal information, including your Social Security number,

to an unsolicited caller. If they called you, that’s a red flag.

& Shred personal information, such as banking records. Thieves go through the trash to obtain such information.

& Be careful of someone standing too close at an ATM machine.

& Don’t give out personal information to someone by e-mail. Some e-mail messages look like they are from a bank and ask that you go to a web site.

Take precautions like this lady did, and don’t be the victim of a scam artist.