Tiffany Revelle — Record-Bee staff
LAKE COUNTY — They”ve done it again. Just who “they” are, however, we may never know.
At least, that”s what law enforcement officials are saying about elusive scam artists that continue to prey on anyone who will buy their line of ? well, you know what we mean.
The Record-Bee gets calls every now and then reporting scams, usually promising money down the line if an initial investment is made. But the variations continue to flourish.
According to a Thursday press release from the Mendocino County Sheriff”s office, the latest was an attempt to trade a fake check for hard cash in order to claim purported lottery winnings. It took the form of a mailer containing a letter of congratulations and a fictitious check in the amount of $3,290.80 issued by “Samsung Austin Semicond”. The recipient, an elderly couple in Mendocino County, were told they had won the “Nevada Stakes Lottery”.
Lt. Cecil Brown of the Lake County Sheriff”s office appealed to readers” common sense, urging them not to do business with anyone they don”t know. He explained that in Lake County, one staffer has the task of compiling and tracking the numerous scams that are reported.
“Very often there”s not a lot we can do because the crime is not committed in Lake County, or possibly America,” said Brown.
“These scams are almost never successful,” said Brown, urging anyone who gets such a solicitation ? whether by mail, e-mail or over the phone ? to not allow their desire to make a quick buck override their better judgment.
“Some of them appeal to people”s compassion,” he said. But for the most part, said Brown, most appear to be re-creations of the Nigerian Scam, which solicited recipients” help in transferring millions of dollars through their personal bank accounts that were “trapped” in Nigerian accounts ? for a sweet percentage, of course.
The unfortunate Mendocino County couple was told the check they received initially was “a first installment of monies so that they recipient can pay for insurance, administration, legal and documentation fees.” They were given a reference number and asked to call and provide a listed telephone number “to further assist with future payments of winnings.”
It is during such a call that personal information can be gleaned, said Detective Jason Caudillo of the Mendocino County Sheriff”s Office. A scam artist may try to lead a caller to offer driver”s license numbers, social security numbers and other such information by offering incorrect information under the auspice of verifying the data.
Caudillo advised readers, “Never provide personal information over the phone.” He took Brown”s suggestion about knowing with whom you are dealing a step farther, urging recipients of scam attempts to ask for a business address and phone number, and take a few minutes to do some online research into the business name given in the solicitation.
If account information was given, Caudillo said to ask your bank to block access to the account and change the account numbers.
A person who believes they”ve been scammed should make a police report, said Caudillo, which he said is often what banks need to see in order to reimburse a fraudulently debited account.
In Lake County, the best way to report scams is to call the Sheriff”s Office Central Dispatch at 263-2690.
Consumers are encouraged to get a credit check every six months to protect against identity theft. Experian, TransUnion and Equifax offer free credit reports online.
Finding these scam artists is “almost impossible,” said Caudillo. “A lot of times they (scams) originate from outside the continental United States, and we don”t have jurisdiction. These people are like phantoms.”
Brown and Caudillo both, independent of one another, said the same wise words: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
