Scam Information and Warnings

Money Transfer, Wire Services, Green Dot Money Pak

 A common tool used by scammers is to convince you over the telephone or via email to pay using a wire transfer service such as Western Union or Money Gram.

Scammers may also try to tell you to pay them using a Green Dot Money Pak card or similar pre-paid credit card purchased at a store. These services provide a convenient way to transfer or give money to someone else, but should be used wisely. For more information click on their links in bold type above.

People trying to steal your money over the telephone will often exhibit the following traits:
- Poor telephone connections consisting of static or delays in speaking
- Claim of working for a branch of the government or law enforcement
- Claim that you are involved in a law enforcement action or legal proceedings
- May threaten you with arrest for failing to follow through with payment
- May at some point request you purchase a Money Pak, Green Dot, or similar pre-paid credit card at a store and read them the numbers over the phone

Lower your chances of falling victim to fraud by checking out these 8 things you should never do when using a money transfer service.

1. Never wire money to people you don't know or haven't met.
2. Never wire money to pay for taxes or fees on lottery or prize winnings.
3. Never purchase a pre-paid card at a store and give the number to someone over the phone who has called you requesting you do this.
4. Never provide your banking information to people or businesses you don’t know.
5. Never wire money in advance to obtain a loan or credit card.
6. Never wire money for an emergency situation without verifying that it’s a real emergency.
7. Never send funds from a check you received in the mail and deposited in your account until it officially clears, which can take weeks.
8. Never wire a money transfer for online purchases.

FBI E-Scams and Warning (Third Party Website Link)

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) continues to receive reports of individuals' email or social networking accounts being compromised and used in a social engineering scam to swindle consumers out of thousands of dollars. Portraying to be the victim, the hacker uses the victim's account to send a notice to their contacts. The notice claims the victim is in immediate need of money due to being robbed of their credit cards, passport, money, and cell phone, leaving them stranded in London or some other location. Some claim they only have a few days to pay their hotel bill and promise to reimburse upon their return home. A sense of urgency to help their friend/contact may cause the recipient to fail to validate the claim, increasing the likelihood of him/her falling for this scam. If you receive a similar notice and are not sure it is a scam, you should always verify the information before sending any money.

If you have been a victim of this type of scam or any other cyber crime, you can report it to the IC3 website at www.IC3.gov. The IC3 complaint database links complaints for potential referral to the appropriate law enforcement agency for case consideration. Complaint information is also used to identity emerging trends and patterns.

LOCAL SCAM WARNINGS

I.R.S or Department of Revenue Phone Call (ongoing)

Federal Student Loan Phone Call (04/2014)

Liberia Fax or email scam (09/2010)