Fraud Ploy Ensnares Avon Lake Woman

AVON LAKE, OH — An Avon Lake woman is out thousands of dollars after being ensnared in a telephone scam. Initial reports from police did not reveal exactly how much money the woman was out, but did say a suspect had been identified.

Police believe a Florida-area woman may have carried out the scam. It looks like the fraud was carried out mostly via telephone.

The Avon Lake Police Department has been talking a lot recently about scams targeting residents, particularly tax-related ploys. The department even shared a video from last year with a detective discussing common types of frauds and how residents can identify them (the video is available above this article).

Also recently, the department has been sharing tips from its officers and from the IRS to help residents avoid getting caught in a fraud. A full list of tips can be found by clicking here, but the most important tip is this: "IRS does NOT demand immediate payment through gift cards/wire transfers or threaten to bring in local police, immigration officers or other law-enforcement to have you arrested," the Avon Lake Police Department said on Facebook.

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