2014 is quickly turning into the year of the scammer. Two new
scams have recently hit the Mother Lode area, along with several older
ones reappearing. Everyone needs to be very vigilant of whom they are
speaking to or dealing with, both on the phone and on the internet.
One of the recent scams to make its way into our area started
with an advertisement placed in the Union Democrat classified section.
So far, the Police Department has taken two reports from this scam. The
ad was looking for a personal assistant and was willing to pay $310 a
week.
When the victims answered the ad via email, they were sent a
money order in the amount of $1,730 via Fed Ex, with instructions. The
money order appeared to be from the Texas State Bank. The instructions
told the victims to deposit the money orders into their accounts, deduct
10% for themselves, then wire the remaining amount via Western Union to
an address in China. The email address in China is anonymous and
untraceable. Once the money order is deposited, the scammer has your
account number and will quickly empty it.
The other scam is a phone scam which has hit our area. In this
scam, a female caller claims to be from H&R Block’s corporate
office. The caller claims if you supply her with your full name, date of
birth and social security number, she can access your tax return from
last year, even if you didn’t file it with H&R Block. She also
claims she can access all your reported earnings to the IRS and State
for 2013.
The caller states she will file your taxes for you
electronically for only $50. And if you are not eligible for a return,
the company will give you $50. If you agree to this, the caller asks for
your bank account number and your routing number, so they can have your
refund electronically deposited, or deposit your $50 if you are not
eligible for a refund.
Like in the other scam, once they have your account number they
empty your account. The phone number in this scam goes to a phone
junction in Florida, then it’s transferred to Canada.
Last week we had someone report they were the victim of the
“relative needing bail money” scam. This scam has been around several
years now and people are still falling victim to it. If someone calls
you from Canada or Mexico and claims you have a relative in jail and you
need to send money to bail them out, DO NOT DO IT! There are several
ways to confirm if this is true or not, but just don’t believe the
person on the phone and send them money. In this scam they normally
request a money order between $3,000 & $5,000 to be sent via Western
Union.
Remember, check things out and verify them before sending money
to anyone or just cashing a check you received for no reason. If you
have any question regarding any correspondence you may receive via the
phone or internet, contact your local law enforcement agency. REFUSE TO
BECOME A VICTIM.