Scams, scams and more scams!

The Punta Gorda Police Department wants to keep you safe from scams. The following is from an e-mail the department recently sent out; it includes a list of recent scams that have been reported.

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Grandparents scam

In the “Grandparents Scam,” a person calls or e‐mails pretending to be your grandchild. The caller will have information easily obtainable on the Internet, such as your grandchild’s name, address, age, etc. The caller, still pretending to be your grandchild, will claim to need money due to an arrest or accident. Often times, another person will get on the phone and pretend to be a bail bondsman, law enforcement officer, lawyer, etc., to provide information on how to send the money – typically by Western Union to an account in Canada. If you get this call, stop and think about the situation: “Would my grandchild call me in Southwest Florida during an emergency such as this?” If you are still unsure, do your homework.

--Call your relatives and see if your grandchild is okay.
--Call information, or look on the Internet for the phone number to the jail or hospital where your grandchild supposedly is located.
--Then, call that agency and see if your grandchild actually is there. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call the police for advice.

Medicare Scam

AARP issued a Scam Alert about this in June after a number of Indiana residents reported receiving calls about this scam. The scammer behind these calls typically will offer the victim free medical supplies in exchange for their Medicare number, maiden name, and date of birth. Do not provide that information to someone who calls you.

Investment scam

A Punta Gorda couple recently lost almost $2,000 in a timeshare/business scam. The couple had received a phone call from a “Ronald Giles,” who claimed to represent “Lunar II Enterprises” or “Luxury Condos International.” The suspect told the Punta Gorda couple he could find a buyer for their timeshare, but they had to send $1,999 for a lawyer fee. The couple gave Giles their Visa debit card number. The money-- and Giles-- then disappeared.

Here are some tips to avoid being a victim of a crime:
--Don’t send money anywhere to anyone without fully investigating the person and the company.
--If you “have to act now,” it’s not worth it.
--Ask for brochures and other information about the company or nonprofit. A legitimate organization will provide such materials.
--Never provide your bank accounts, credit card numbers, Social Security number, Medicare number, date of birth, or other personal information to someone who calls you on the phone.
--If it seems too good to be true, it is.
--If you feel uncomfortable, or have any doubts, listen to your concerns.

Don’t hesitate to call the Punta Gorda Police Department at (941) 639‐4111 if you have been the victim of a scam, or an attempted scam, or if you have information about a scam.

"Smishing" or "vishing" scams targeting SWFL

The Lee County Sheriff's Office sent us the following e-mail about two scams going around:

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You won’t find the words "Smishing" or "Vishing" in Webster’s Dictionary, but they are important words to know; especially when these are two ways cyber criminals are stealing our money and personal information.

While most cyber scams target your computer, "smishing" or "vishing" scams target your mobile phone using text and voice messaging (vishing scams also target land-line phones). These scams are a growing threat to millions of Americans who own cell phones and due to a rise in cell phone and internet usage we expect to see an increase in cyber related crimes in 2011 so taking a few moments now to educate ourselves on what to be aware of will go a long way in protecting our money and our personal information.

"Smishing" or "Vishing" takes place when criminals set up an automated dialing system to text or call people in a particular region or area code, sometimes using stolen customer phone numbers from banks or credit unions. The victims receive a text message or an automated phone call saying: "There’s a problem with your bank account" or "Your ATM card needs to be reactivated". The message then directs you to key in your account information, PIN or credit card number or directs you to log into a website using your "smart" phone in order to fix the problem. If you respond to these messages you are likely to have money withdrawn from your account or if logging on to a phony website using your smart phone you could end up downloading malicious software.

Here are some tips you can use to avoid becoming a victim of cyber fraud:

-Do not respond to text messages or automated voice messages from unknown or blocked numbers on your mobile phone.
-Treat your mobile phone like you would your computer. Don’t download anything unless you trust the source.
-Contact your financial institution using the official website or phone number located on the back of your bank card or statement.
-Most importantly, remember that banks or credit unions will NEVER text you to notify you that there are problems with your account.

To report a fraud or scam or to find out if that phone call, text message, e-mail, letter or the person at your door is trying to scam you contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Fraud Line at 239-477-1242.

Re-shipping scam alert

The Collier County Sheriff's Office issued a scam alert we would like to pass along.

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The Collier County Sheriff's Office is cautioning residents about a re-shipping scam circulating via the Internet.

Over the past few weeks, CCSO has become aware of unwitting citizens being recruited for this scam, which is a mixture of credit card fraud, identity theft, auction fraud, Internet fraud, and bank fraud.

The scam targets mostly job-seekers and online chat site guests. For job-seekers, the applicant believes that he or she will be responsible for forwarding, or re-shipping, merchandise that was purchased in the United States to the company's overseas home office. Soon after employment begins, the packages arrive, along with shipping labels to the correct destination. All the employee has to do is take the package(s) to a shipping store and send off. Unbeknownst to the employee, the items in the package had been purchased with fraudulent or stolen credit cards.

Another form of this scam is when a job-seeker is recruited as a payroll coordinator or similar position. The unwitting recruit's job function would be to receive a lump sum of money and then wire or send payroll to various persons provided by the employer. The unwitting employee may be held responsible for the loss the financial institutions suffer, as this scam involves stolen or ill-gotten gains as well.

Recruits are at a higher risk for identity theft, since they usually provide the con artists with their banking and other personal information when applying for the job.

For online chatters, the scam artists will target someone for friendship or love. The new friend will make up an excuse as to why he or she cannot have packages shipped directly to him or her and persuade the unwitting friend to forward the packages overseas. Once the victimized merchants realize the scam, the unwitting re-shipper is contacted and the plot unravels.

If you believe you may have fallen victim to this type of scam and wish to report it, contact the Collier County Sheriff's Office at 239.252.9300. You may also contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at: http://www.ic3.gov