Scammers Targeting Beachwood Residents

BEACHWOOD, OH — A new scam is targeting Beachwood residents. The Beachwood Police Department took to Facebook to tell the community that scam artists are using traffic violations to try and ensnare people and steal their money or identity.

Several people have gotten emails titled "Notice of Traffic Violation" from someone masquerading as a city official. The emails always indicate that the recipient was cited at some point, in Beachwood, for a traffic offense.

The email then indicates that the recipient must pay a fine online, within 72 hours, by clicking on a link in the email. Beachwood Police said emphatically on Facebook that this is a scam. No one should click the link or interact with the email in any way.

This seems to be the latest iteration of the so-called "impostor" scam, which sees a scam artist pretend to be someone in authority. Fraudsters have posed as IRS agents, police officers, city officials and others.

"Over the last year, scammers have begun asking victims to pay them with iTunes gift cards. No legitimate government agency accepts payment in iTunes cards," said the Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs.

More information on scams targeting Cuyahoga County residents can be found by clicking here.

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