Fairfield Is Seeing Phone Scams Again, Police Say

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Why do people keep falling for the same scams, over and over again? Two reasons, according to Fairfield’s police chief: the scammers are good at what they do, and they manage to find “good-hearted” victims.

On Monday, the Fairfield Police Department issued an advisory about a recent wave of phone scams in the township:

“Over the last week or so, the Fairfield Police Department was advised by several citizens that they had received suspicious phone calls in which the callers were attempting to have the citizens send money to them under the guises that there was some family-type emergency that immediately required the money,” authorities wrote.

In some cases, the caller would tell the citizen that a family member had some legal trouble in another state and that if the requested amount of money was not immediately sent, their family member would be jailed, Fairfield police said.

In a separate scenario, the caller contacted their victims and used the actual name of a Fairfield police officer. The caller told their victims there was a warrant for their arrest, and if they didn’t immediately send money officers would come and arrest them. One of these resulted in a victim wiring $54,000 to the criminals, authorities said.

Phone scams in Fairfield are nothing new, police pointed out. In November, the FPD issued a warning about a scam involving callers claiming to be with the FBI.

• See related article: Phone Scam In Essex County Involves 'Car With Blood And Money'

“It’s disheartening that many people fall victim to these con artists each and every day,” Fairfield Police Chief Anthony Manna said. “But what is angering us even more is that they are now using the names of actual Fairfield police officers or the actual Fairfield Police Department non-emergency number to help their scam appear legitimate.”

Manna offered an educated guess as to why people keep falling for the same scams they’ve been warned about in the past:

“I’m often asked how people could fall for these scams. In my opinion, it’s because of a combination of two things. First, the con artists are good at what they do and second, because the victims are always good-hearted, loving people who are drawn into a scenario in which they try and help someone in need.”

“I have had very intelligent friends of mine defrauded of substantial money because of the combination of these two things and if you don’t think it could happen to you, it could,” Manna added.

According to Fairfield police, scams reported in the township often have to things in common.

“The first is that the victim is made to feel that time is of the essence,” police stated. “If they don’t act immediately, some harm or negative consequence will befall them or their loved ones. The second is the key; it requires the victim to wire money or purchase pre-paid credit or gift cards and to provide the caller with the numbers of these cards. Both of these things should immediately put up a red flag to the potential victim.”

One possible way to help protect yourself against scams is to be careful about what you say online, authorities stated.

For example, if someone posts that a family member named “Dave” is vacationing at the Polynesian Village in Disney World, that brief bit of information may be all that a con artist needs to create a believable scam.

“Unfortunately, many victims are unknowingly complicit in the many scams that target them in that they post many personal items on social media platforms including family members’ names, pictures of vehicles and homes, location and vacation information and the like so that their friends and family can keep up with their activities. But there are many con artists searching these same social media platforms for such information so that when they call their victims, they have just enough information to repeat to them that their scam now appears legitimate

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