Scam and Con Alert
Scams and Con Artists work all year long to hone their skills and ruses to separate people from their money. These unscrupulous individuals devise schemes that appear to be legitimate and play on the possibility that someone will take the "bait" towards a "get rich quick" opportunity of a lifetime or be a sympathetic soul for a person in need. Senior citizens are not the only targets; everyone is susceptible to something that sounds too good to be true or trying to be a Good Samaritan. The Bloomingdale Police Department has been notified of the following deceptive acts taking place locally:
Jail inmates are performing a phone scam, in which individuals randomly call telephone numbers from a payphone in jail. When someone answers the phone, the inmate tells the person that someone they know is injured and that they (the inmate) were asked to call the emergency contact person. The inmate then asks the person to dial *72 to get more information about the injured individual. By dialing *72, it gives the inmate the ability to have control over your phone by calling any number and having it billed to your phone account. One of our police officer experienced such a call, in which the Caller Identification Device showed "Prison" plus the 773 phone number.
The letter scam, in most cases referred to as the Nigerian letter, requests help to get money into the country via your bank account. The requestor will ask for your personal information, including a financial account number and possibly your social security number to complete a transfer of funds into your account and for your assistance, you will receive a portion of the money transferred into the country. Some con artists will offer to send a helpful courier to expedite the process. Please note that it does not only come in letter form, but the con artists have utilized the Internet and sent it as an e-mail.
Along the same lines, either by letter or by e-mail, the Award Winning Notification scam is going strong. Recently, an individual was sent a letter with a realistic-looking check that congratulates them as one of the winners of the North American Utilities draw. The winners were selected through a computer ballot system, drawn from 149,000 telephone numbers and utilities bills of individuals who sign up for the services. The letter / e-mail notifies the individual that the lump sum pay out of $48,500.00 can be issued once they receive the $2,980.00 to cover the charges/fees associated to the Lotto Regulatory Board. A phone number is provided to coordinate the collection of your winnings and they ask for confidentiality until your prize money is received to avoid multiple claims. Again, the check may look legitimate so that you won't want to pass up the winning opportunity.
Lastly, the Seal Coat (Roof Repair, or any other household repair) scam has never gone out of style. The repair people (at least two individuals involved) will note that some home repair is needed on your residence and they will quote a price for the work. A down payment for equipment or the full amount is needed before the repair can begin and many times the repair crew will gain access into the home to perform a theft or will complete a sub par repair on the home. The so-called repair workers will show great concern for the situation and convince you that the repair is needed immediately before further damage occurs.
The Bloomingdale Police Department wants all citizens to be aware of home repair fraud, phone scams, mail fraud, and Internet scams and to practice the following safety tips.
-Keep doors and windows locked at all times.
-Never open the doors to strangers.Ask service people for identification and call the company for further verification. ANY suspicious people or activity - contact the local police department immediately.
-Check with family, friends, the Village Building Department / Police Department for validity of a business and/or repair activity within the Village limits.
-Don't give personal or financial information over the phone. Do not dial unfamiliar code numbers on the phone.
-Hang up on nuisance callers and report them.
-Consult with trusted individuals regarding any business / financial affairs.
In order to reduce victimization, please be alert and aware of your surroundings, utilize good safety practices, and keep in contact with your neighbors and your local police department. By being "the eyes and ears of the community" will help reduce victimization for you and others.
If you have any questions, concerns, or are looking for more information about Crime Prevention material, please contact Officer Dawn Odoiat (630) 529-9868.