Livermore Police Help Retrieve $47K Stolen By Scammers

LIVERMORE, CA — A Livermore man was scammed out of $47,000, but Livermore police helped get it back.

On Wednesday, Dec. 14, a 77-year-old man was contacted by several scammers claiming that his personal information had been compromised in a data breach and money laundering scheme, according to a report from the Livermore Police Department.

The scammers, who were pretending to be from the Amazon and Wells Fargo fraud departments, convinced the man to withdraw $47,000 in $100 bills, pack them in shoe boxes, and mail the money to an undisclosed location.

The man contacted the Livermore police, who used the tracking number on the package to place a hold on the package to stop it from being delivered. Police then retrieved the package with the cash and returned it to the victim.

LPD offer the following tips to avoid being the victim of similar scams:

• Do not give out personal or financial information in response to an unexpected request.
• Do not click on links, even for companies you trust. It is better to research the company’s information and contact them yourself.
• Resist the pressure to act immediately. Legitimate businesses give time to make decisions.
• Never pay anyone who insists you pay with certain methods like cryptocurrency, money wires, etc.
• Talk to someone you trust before you take action.

Fraudsters can be reported to the Federal Trade Commission.