Scammers preying on the unsuspecting have seemingly been around for nearly as long as the telephone.
And one of the typical scams is preying on elderly residents with callers telling residents that a grandchild or another relative has been arrested or involved in an accident overseas and needs money wired to a special account to help the relative.
Now crooks are trying to victimize local residents using text messages, Greenwich Police say.
According to police spokesman Lt. Kraig Gray, on July 12, the victim, a Greenwich resident and native Spanish speaker, received a text from an unknown number originating in Puerto Rico. The text message stated that her (adult) son had been involved in a serious motor vehicle accident and needed help.
The woman spoke with a man in Spanish who said the victim’s son had not been in an accident but had been kidnapped by “escaped convicts.” He then demanded a ransom and threatened to kill the victim’s son if she contacted police, according to Gray.
The woman reported the incident to Greenwich Police about noon on Friday after she was unable to contact her son.
"It would take several gut-wrenching hours before the police could verify that the son was fine, that the message was a complete falsehood, and that no money had been sent," Gray said in a statement.
Here are some helpful guidelines from Greenwich Police in identifying scams:
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- a loved one is in danger or in a hospital or under arrest.
- the incident occurred overseas or where the subject attends school or where they had been on vacation.
- the money needs to be wired immediately so assistance can be given immediately.
- the call back numbers given to the victim originate out of country.
- the scammers included the threat of violence, as they did on July 12.
Police also said, "If you receive a call similar to the incident mentioned above or receive a text stating you won the lottery and need to send money to collect the prize, don’t send any money. You are being scammed and will never see the money again. Be mindful that any call or letter stating you need to act NOW or if you're directed to go to a certain location to wire the money. These are all red flags and you should be wary."
Gray said that whenever anyone receives a call or text about a relative's safety, "You should initiate a call to the loved one directly."
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A short list of ways to protect yourself include:
- It is best not to respond to text messages or missed calls that come from numbers you don’t recognize.
- Do not give your personal, credit card or online account details over the phone unless you made the call and the phone number came from a trusted source.
- Do not open suspicious or unsolicited emails (spam): delete them.
- Do not click on any links in a spam email or open any files attached to them.
- NEVER reply to a spam email or SMS (even to unsubscribe).
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigates and catalogues national scam trends. Their website provides useful information and is available in Spanish. http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts.
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