Within
the last two weeks the police department has been informed of several
mail and telephone scams that are occurring in the Angels Camp area.
The
mail scam is fairly obvious; the potential victim receives a letter
indicating that a friend recently passed away in a foreign country, and
that a large sum of money is being “willed” to the person receiving the
letter. Included in the letter are contact information and a request to
keep the matter confidential. These scams typically originate in foreign
countries.
Two
recent telephone scam attempts, occurring days apart, are more
alarming. The suspect (in both of the recent cases a male) identifies
himself by name as a family member or a close friend, and advises that
he has been arrested in a foreign country and needs money to bail out of
jail. In one of the cases the suspect identified himself as a close
family friend, and stated that he was arrested in a foreign country that
the victim knew was recently visited by their friend.
A
request was made in both cases to wire money via Western Union, and
several follow-up calls were made by the suspect to ensure that the
money would be sent.
The
recent targets of these scams are elderly residents. Please do not
provide anyone that calls you or otherwise contacts you with any
personal information. Do not attempt to send money without first
confirming facts. Confirmation can be as simple as hanging up the phone
and calling the person that the suspect is identifying himself as.
Notify the police and request that a police report be taken.
