While burglaries and car prowls
often are the focus of Neighborhood Watches, frauds and scams have become more
of a threat to the public in this age of digital communications. Here are some
recent reports of frauds and scams going around:
MAYS POND- BECU Debit
Card Scam
The Mays Pond Neighborhood Watch reports
that an unknown caller has been calling local numbers telling whoever answers
that that their BECU debit card has been locked. The caller suggests pressing “1
to go to our security center…” DO NOT PRESS ANY BUTTONS JUST HANG UP!
This alert holds true for any bank or credit
union, never give your pin number or any information over the phone from an
unsolicited call. Hang up immediately, and then call your financial
institution to find out if the call was legitimate.
The Seattle Times:
http://seattletimes.com/html/theblotter/2014165880_becucallsaskingforaccountinformationareascam.html
THE FALLS- You Won a BMW!!!!
One resident of The Falls reports having
received 2 phone calls in the past 3 months from someone with an accent telling
them that they were fortunate to win a BMW and several million dollars. The
homeowner had not entered any contest and knew it was a scam and hung up the
phone. If you receive a call like this hang up then call 911, especially
if you can provide a phone number from your Caller ID.
AARP WATCHDOG ALERT- Online Dating and
Romance Scams
Just before Valentine’s Day the AARP Fraud
Watch Network (http://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/fraud-watch-network/)
issued the following alert about online dating and romance scams. While
Valentine’s Day is past, its warning is still beneficial for singles who use
online dating services.
Signs
your Valentine is a scammer
Romance cons are big business, costing an
average loss of more than $10,000 per victim in the U.S. Scammers know how to
make a connection, tailoring their sweet talk to their victim’s responses.
How
does it work?
You think you’ve found your perfect partner
online. Once they’ve gained your trust, they ask for money or your personal
information — leaving you with an empty bank account, and a broken heart.
Sweetheart scams can happen on a dating site
or via "catfishing" on social media, where Internet predators
fabricate elaborate online identities to trick people into emotional/romantic
relationships over a long period of time. See the story of a San Jose woman who
was duped out of $500,000 in one such online scam (http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/01/15/san-jose-woman-duped-out-of-500k-in-nigerian-online-dating-scam/).
What
are the signs?
• First comes instalove: Your new
friend immediately moves the conversation to email or instant messaging — and
just as quickly falls in love.
•
Long distance romance: They say
they’re from your town, but are currently out of the country. Emergencies keep
you apart when making plans to meet in person.
•
Money, honey: Then come the asks for
help with travel fees; a child or other relative’s hospital bills; expenses
while a big business deal comes through; or recovery from a temporary setback.
How
do I protect myself?
•
Do some digging, including an image
search of the profile photo used on the dating site, and consider a background
check if you aren’t finding any information.
•
Don’t mix friends and finance. Do
not give credit card or financial account details, or personal identifying
information (e.g., Social Security number) to anyone you don’t know and trust.
What
should I do if I’m a victim?
•
Break off contact immediately.
•
Do not send any more money.
•
Report to:
○
the website or chat room operator
○
local police
○
the Internet Crime Complaint Center (http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx)
○
the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov or
877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
This is a message from AARP
Washington, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office and Better Business
Bureau. If you or someone you know has been a victim of identity theft or
fraud, you can contact the AARP Foundation Fraud Fighter Center at
1-800-646-2283 for help
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