New scams hitting the area
March 12, 2010
St. Peters, MO
From the St. Peters Police Department
The St. Peters Police want to warn the community about new scams that are hitting the St. Louis and St. Charles County area. Our department has noticed an increase of the amount of e-mail and telephone scams asking people to wire money across the country. These scams come in many different disguises. Here are a few examples:
E-mail accounts have been hacked, retrieving e-mail addresses and then sending out an e-mail in the “victims” name asking for money. The e-mail may say “Help, I lost my wallet while travelling and need money fast. Please wire me money to _______.” You end up receiving this e-mail from your ‘friend,’ believing they need help.
Phone calls from people ‘phishing.’ These phone calls tend to target the elderly community. Some will disguise themselves as a ‘grandchild,’ and tell the victim they were just in an accident and need money wired to them in another state. Sometimes the con artist will tell you they are a police or corrections agency and your friend/co-worker has just been arrested and they need bond.
Lastly, there is the “Craigslist” scam which targets people selling high priced items. The con artist will e-mail the seller stating they want to purchase the item, but are out of town and unable to pick up the item themselves. They then send a bad check, make arrangements for movers to pick up item and ask you to wire the “movers” payment to a particular location.
Most of these recent scams have involved the wiring of money because it is extremely difficult to trace and is generally sent out of the state or out of the country.
To prevent being scammed, do not wire money to anyone, unless you know exactly who and where it is going. If you receive a phone call or e-mail from a friend or family member, investigate the situation with other friends/family before sending anything. If you believe it is a scam, please contact your local police department.
Copyright 2010 Neighbors About Town
