SCAM UPDATE- Identity Thief Commits Domestic Violence, Gold Scam, Lottery Scam

October is Domestic Violence Month and Cyber Security Awareness Month. The following item is relevant to both.

Identity Thief Commits Domestic Violence. In early September, a man claiming to be “Craig Dubal” broke down the front door to his girlfriend’s home and attacked her and a female friend. However, detectives have determined that the man claiming to be Craig Duval has committed identity theft to take over the name of the real Craig Duval who lives in Vancouver, Washington. The girlfriend even had copies of the imposter’s driver’s license and Social Security Card that showed him as the Vancouver resident.

Crooks have many motivations to steal someone’s identity. Mostly they want to get your money, buy expensive items on your bank account, or sell your information to other crooks. Taking on a stolen identity to commit other crimes is probably the biggest nightmare for an identity theft victim.

Detectives want this unknown suspect for 1^st Degree Burglary-Domestic Violence, Identity Theft, Malicious Mischief and Interfering with Reporting Domestic Violence.

If you know who this person is and/or where he lives, call Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or use the P3 Tips App. Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for any information that leads to an arrest in this case.

For more detail about this case, check out this link,

Washington’s Most Wanted:
https://q13fox.com/2019/09/27/help-id-suspect-living-lie-to-woman-hes-accused-of-attacking-shocking-man-whose-name-hes-been-using/

Gold Scam. In the spring of this year and again in September, the Washington State Patrol has been warning citizens about scammers approaching drivers on freeway off ramps. The scammers often claim that they are having car trouble or are out of gas and do not have enough money to cover their costs. They ask for money and in exchange they offer what looks like gold jewelry. Only, what they have to offer is not gold, but is made of brass or another gold looking material.

In Everett, police are looking for scammers who have been approaching people in parking lots with a similar scam.

The scammers prey on your sympathy and on your greed. You want to help someone out and you might think that you are getting a “good deal” by getting gold jewelry for cheap.

If someone approaches you on the street offering gold jewelry, just say no and report them to 911.
KIRO TV:
https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/wsp-suspects-selling-fake-gold-on-freeways/953439157

https://www.kiro7.com/video?videoId=992132195&videoVersion=1.0

Lottery Scam. AARP sponsors a podcast called “The Perfect Scam” that gives excellent insight into scammers and their scams. In the most recent episode, the podcast tells the story of how an FBI agent worked to catch a lottery kingpin. One of the takeaways from this episode is that scammers look for vulnerable people who they can isolate and victimize, often repeatedly.

The Perfect Scam is well worth listening to and this episode is especially informative.

AARP, The Perfect Scam:
https://www.aarp.org/podcasts/the-perfect-scam/info-2019/lavrick-willocks-lottery-scam.html

For more information about Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, check out this web site:
https://nationaltoday.com/%e2%80%8bnational-domestic-violence-awareness-month/

And for more information about Cyber Security Awareness Month check out this web site:
https://niccs.us-cert.gov/national-cybersecurity-awareness-month-2019