Redlands PD Warns of Ongoing Email, Phone Scams Targeting Locals

The Redlands Police Department issued an advisory Tuesday warning locals to be vigilant of some recurring telephone and email scams.

According to Police Spokesman Carl Baker, RPD "...continues to receive regular reports of fraudulent activities" that often revolve around three main tactics.

Baker provided the following break-down of the alleged scams going on around town:

ARREST WARRANT SCAM

You receive a phone call from someone claiming to work for the court or law enforcement informing you that there is a warrant for your arrest. Usually it’s because you failed to report for jury duty or pay a parking ticket. The caller informs you that the warrant will be dismissed if you purchase a debit card from a local retailer and provide the card serial number before 5 p.m. when the court closes. Once you provide the serial number, the scammer drains the money from your debit account and you never hear from them again. Most victims of this scam say they never even received a summons for jury duty or had an unpaid parking ticket.

FRIEND IN NEED SCAM

You receive an email from an acquaintance who says he was on vacation or traveling in a foreign country when his wallet and passport were stolen. All of his credit cards and identification are gone. The authorities won’t allow him to leave the country and he needs money to get a new passport and even plane tickets.  A quick telephone call to the friend (not an email; that has already been compromised) will usually confirm that he has not even left the United States.

THE “GRANDPARENT SCAM”

You get a call or an email unexpectedly from someone who claims to be a friend or relative. This often happens to grandparents with the caller claiming to be their grandson or granddaughter. The caller says there’s an emergency and asks you to send money immediately. But beware, there’s a good chance this is an imposter trying to steal your money!

According to Baker, the people behind these scams don't always target people for any specific reason, and it could be random.  However, sometimes they may find your information a variety of sources.

"They also use marketing lists, telephone listings, and information from social networking sites, obituaries and other sources," Baker said.  "Sometimes they hack into people’s email accounts and send messages to everyone in their contact list."

As for knowing the names of you, your friends and relatives; sometimes, it's just luck.

"For instance, the scammer may say 'Hi grandma,' hoping that you actually have a grandson," he said.  "If you ask, 'David, is that you?' the scammer will say 'Yes!'"

One of the tell-tale signs of a possible scam is "no matter the story, they always want you to send money immediately," according to Baker.  Often times, they'll ask you to wire money via a service like Western Union or MoneyGram because they can pick up the cash fast, before you know what hit.

"Contact the money transfer service immediately to report the scam," Baker said.  "If the money hasn’t been picked up yet, you can retrieve it, but if it has, it’s not like a check that you can stop – the money is gone."

Here are some things you can do to protect yourself, according to Redlands PD: 

• If you wired money, contact the service immediately to try to stop the payment before it goes out.
• Use a firewall or anti-virus protection on your computer to stop people from hacking into your email account.  Keep the software updated.
• Don't open emailed attachments from strangers, since they can contain programs that allow others to remotely access your computer.
• If you get a call from someone asking for money, check first to make sure it's legitimate by asking questions that would be difficult for an impostor to answer.