The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
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Ridgewood NJ, Assemblyman Kevin J Rooney shared some information from the FTC website in order to protect yourself from Medicare Scams .
Still getting calls from people claiming to be from Medicare, asking for money or personal information?
Here are a few important tips from the Federal Trade Commission:
Continue reading Protect yourself against Medicare scams
Assemblyman Kevin J. Rooney
Ridgewood NJ, If you need tech help with your computer, where do you go? Most of us probably search online. But your online search can lead you straight to scammers who scare you into thinking your computer is in dire need of repair…and then sell you costly security software that you don’t need.
That’s just what happened in the FTC’s lawsuit against Elite IT Partners, Inc., which was announced today as part of a massive law enforcement sweep. According to the complaint, Elite bought key words on Google that let them target people searching for how to recover lost passwords. You’d fill out an online form and give your contact information. Then, says the FTC, Elite’s telemarketers would call and ask to get online access to your computer – supposedly to check for problems. Once they were in, the caller would show you fake “evidence” of viruses or other threats that, they said, had to be removed right away.
Continue reading Facts you should know about fake “tech support” scams
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Glen Rock NJ, the Glen Rock Police Department reminds you that Public service, electric, gas and other utility scams continue to be reported to the GRPD. Please educate your friends and family. These cases are next to impossible to investigate and usually involve suspects outside the United States. Our best defence is helping others recognize the red flags and prevention. If in doubt, call the service company directly using a phone number off your bill or call the GRPD and ask us to take a look. These suspects use fear and pressure to try and demand you act without stopping to think a moment. If you feel uncomfortable, take a minute to check on what the person on the phone is telling you. This goes for anyone who comes to your home or business as well. High pressure tactics are designed to get people to act before thinking things through. Be safe.
Report Fraudulent Activity : If you think you may have been a victim of a scam, call us at 1-800-436-PSEG (7734) and then file a report with your local police
Ridgewood NJ, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this fraud alert to warn citizens of reports that DHS telephone numbers have been used recently as part of a telephone spoofing scam targeting individuals throughout the country. Spoofing is the deliberate falsifying of information transmitted to a caller ID display to disguise an identity.
Continue reading Fraud Alert: DHS Telephone Numbers Used in Scam to Obtain Personally Identifiable Information and Extort Money from Victims
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Roselle NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that a former site manager for a temporary staffing agency was sentenced to prison today for stealing $190,000 from the agency.
Xiomara Jovel, 47, of Roselle, N.J., was sentenced to three years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Joseph P. Donohue in Union County. Jovel pleaded guilty on Dec. 19, 2018 to second-degree theft by deception. She must pay full restitution to the former employer.
Continue reading Former Temp Staffing Agency Manager Gets 3 years for Stealing $190,000
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Trenton NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor today announced that a Bergen County man has been charged with insurance fraud and theft by deception in an alleged scheme to collect $17,048 in temporary total disability payment from his insurance company.
Ramdeo Ramsaran, 54, of Teaneck, was indicted on charges of second-degree insurance fraud and third-degree theft by deception in an indictment handed up by a state Grand Jury in Trenton on December 12.
According to the indictment, between August 2016 and July 2017 Ramsaran collected temporary total disability payments from Hudson Insurance Company by falsely claiming he was unable to work when, in fact, he was working.
Ramsaran allegedly made false statements and submitted, or caused to be submitted, fraudulent documents in support of that claim.
Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $150,000; third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $15,000. The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Menjivar presented the case to the Grand Jury. Detective Wendy Berg coordinated the investigation.
Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Thompson thanked Hudson Insurance Company for referring the matter to OIFP.
Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Thompson noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting the Web site at www.njinsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit a reward to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to a conviction for insurance fraud.
Trenton NJ, The New Jersey State Police are reporting during the last week, law enforcement agencies in New Jersey began investigating a phone scam that threatens to harm victims’ family members if money is not wired to the caller. The most recent incident was reported to the New Jersey State Police Perryville Station.
The details of each respective occurrence vary slightly, however, there are several factors common with all of the incidents. All of the calls are made from 331-240-1294 and a computerized voice claims to be watching the victim’s house. The message directs the victim to call the above number and threatens to harm their family if money is not wired as per their instructions.
If you receive a call like the one described, please notify your local police immediately. DO NOT, under any circumstance, call the number back or wire money to the caller.
The incidents are currently under investigation and there is no additional information available at this time.
By: Emma Fletcher(FTC)
Ridgewood NJ, In 2018, the Consumer Sentinel Network has seen a striking increase in the median dollar amount that people 70 and over are saying they lost to fraud. Digging into the data, we found some common stories with an unusual twist: people 70 and older report mailing huge amounts of cash to people who pretended to be their grandchildren.
People 70 and over rarely report to the FTC that they paid a scammer with cash. But for one particular type of fraud – family and friend imposters – fully 25% of people 70 and over who reported to the FTC how they paid money told us they sent cash.
We call these family and friend imposter scams, but you may know them as the “grandparent scam” and with good reason. People 70 and over report that the scammer posed as a grandchild, usually a grandson, about 70% of the time.
file photo by Boyd Loving
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Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report several instances of fraud and identity theft against Village residents. On August 17th, a Jackson Terrace resident reported a fraud and a theft occurred shortly after she placed a sealed envelope in a mailbox located in the area of West Ridgewood Avenue and Corsa Terrace. The victim reported after mailing the check she was notified by her bank the check was possibly stolen and cashed fraudulently. The victim was advised by her bank to close the account and document the incident.
August 2,2018
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Hawthorne NJ, BORO OF HAWTHORNE: 8/1 – Residents reporting calls from 973-427-1800 claiming to be IRS demanding money for back taxes. This is a scam call, provide no info
Please advise neighbors and any Senior Citizens in your neighborhood. These people are threatening arrest if money is not paid. Total Scam IRS would not call to collect taxes!
June 13,2018
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NEWARK NJ, An Salvadoran national in the country illegally, who has an Interpol warrant for being a member of MS-13 and trafficking in firearms and narcotics, is among 91 foreign nationals taken into custody during a five-day operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week in New Jersey, targeting at-large criminal aliens, illegal re-entrants and other immigration violators. The operation was supported by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) New Jersey Field Office.
Of those arrested during the operation, which was spearheaded by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), 77 percent were convicted criminals and 70 percent of them had prior felony convictions.
These individuals will go through removal proceedings before an Immigration Judge or for those under a final order of removal, arrangements will be made to remove them from the U.S.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection is extremely proud to have assisted in this operation,” said Frank Russo, Acting Director New York Field Office. “It is through collaborative efforts that law enforcement agencies can combat illegal acts and apprehend criminals who pose a threat to the Homeland.”
The individuals arrested throughout New Jersey were nationals of Anguilla (1), Bangladesh (1), Cameroon (1), Colombia (4), Cuba (3), Dominican Republic (14), Ecuador (4), Egypt (1), El Salvador (10), Ghana (1), Guatemala (3), Guinea (1), Guyana (2), Haiti (3), Honduras (4), Jamaica (3), Korea (2), Macedonia (2), Mexico (12), Nicaragua (1), Pakistan (2), Philippines (4), Peru (4), Poland (1), Spain (1), St. Lucia (1), Trinidad (3), and Venezuela (2)
These individuals were arrested in the following counties in New Jersey: Atlantic (3), Bergen (5), Burlington (3), Camden (3), Cumberland (6), Essex (19), Hudson (15), Mercer (7), Middlesex (7), Monmouth (1), Passaic (10), Union (8), and Warren (2). Also, one individual was arrested in New Castle county in Delaware and one individual was arrested in Bronx county in New York. They range from age 19 to 78 years old and all were previously convicted of a variety of offenses. Some of the convictions included sexual assault on a minor, child abuse, possession of narcotics, distribution of narcotics, money laundering, DUI, fraud, domestic violence, theft, possession of a weapon, burglary, larceny, aggravated assault, aggravated assault on law enforcement, resisting arrest, endangering the welfare of a child, kidnapping and illegal reentry.
Among those arrested during this operation include:
ICE deportation officers conduct targeted enforcement operations every day in locations around the country as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to protect the nation, uphold public safety and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls.
During targeted enforcement operations, ICE officers frequently encounter additional suspects who may be in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws. Those persons will be evaluated on a case by case basis and, when appropriate, arrested by ICE.
ICE continues to focus its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. ICE conducts targeted immigration enforcement in compliance with federal law and agency policy. However, as ICE Director Thomas Homan has made clear, ICE does not exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States.
June 7,2018
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Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood blog pulled this off the Ridgewood Moms and Dads page on Facebook , we thought it was important ; “I wanted to give everyone a heads up about something that happened to me today that I think everyone should be aware of. I live on Bogert Avenue between Ponfield and Glen Avenues. A young man came to my door early afternoon, and I believe he had short blonde or dirty blonde hair with piercing blue eyes and he was very lean who was from an extermination company. I believe it’s called Aptiva which was on his gray polo shirt. He was giving me a very hard sell and would not give me a card or brochure and was trying to pressure me to sign up for a service when I already have a service and we had just gotten our grounds sprayed and I told him that. He kept telling me that certain neighbors whose names I had never heard of before were customers already. And his schedule was filling up. I saw no truck in the vicinity, so he was parked somewhere else. And I just have a bad feeling because of how hard he pressed. I’m sorry I didn’t call the police immediately but when I went out shortly I didn’t see him anywhere so I don’t know where he went after me. Just thought everyone should be aware of this guy. He didn’t have a clipboard either, he just had an iPad.”
Several other posters commented that the same thing had happened at their home. We do not know if he is real or not or this is a diversion tactic to case your home . We suggest playing it safe and handle with care by calling the Ridgewood Police (201) 652-3900. Don’t make yourself a victim .
![Orange-and-Rockland-Featured-compressor[1]](https://theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BESTOrange-and-Rockland-Featured-compressor1.jpg "Orange and Rockland Power Customers Hit by Payment Scam")
June 1,2018
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Wyckoff NJ, the Wyckoff police have again issued a warning to Orange and Rockland customers .The latest rash of phony-bill payment schemes in which imposters pose as utility company representatives and call customers, demanding immediate payment for what the crooks fraudulently claim are delinquent electric and gas bills.
These scammers pose as utility company employees and call customers saying their service will be disconnected if they do not make an immediate payment using a prepaid debit card or even a credit card.
Orange and Rockland does not accept payment from prepaid debit cards.
Orange and Rockland urges anyone who is contacted in this fashion to break off contact with the crooks and call O&R Customer Service at 1-877-434-4100.
If you are contacted by someone who says they represent O&R and you wish to verify their identity, call O&R at 1-877-434-4100 to verify their identity and the nature of their business with you.
Remember, when in doubt, hang up the phone or break off contact, and call O&R at 1-877-434-4100 to verify that the person you are dealing with is an O&R employee conducting legitimate business.
Orange & Rockland and its subsidiary, Rockland Electric Company, serve approximately 300,000 electric customers in New York and northern New Jersey, and more than 130,000 natural gas customers in New York.
February 28,2018
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Wyckoff NJ, the Wyckoff Police Department has issued a scam alert , from time to time, residents receive calls from people claiming to be the Wyckoff Police Department or other various Law Enforcement organizations requesting donations. Please note that the Wyckoff Police Department / Wyckoff PBA, will never contact you via the telephone and will only do so through the US Postal mail. You can always request the information be mailed to you should you fear the organization calling appears to not be legit. If you need any further assistance with the organizations validity, please feel free to call our department for assistance.
February 15,2018
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Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report that a Steilen Avenue resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters to report being the victim of a fraud on February 12th. The victim reported she was advised all her Apple devices were compromised by a pop-up on her iPad from Apple technical support. A person then contacted her by phone and she was then convinced into purchasing a three year virus protection which she later learned was a scam after providing credit card information.
In “Tech Support Scams” such as this scammers call and claim to be computer techs associated with well-known companies like Microsoft or Apple. Other scammers send pop-up messages that warn about computer problems. They say they’ve detected viruses or other malware on your computer. They claim to be “tech support” and will ask you to give them remote access to your computer. Eventually, they’ll diagnose a non-existent problem and ask you to pay for unnecessary or even harmful services.
If you get an unexpected pop-up, call, spam email or other urgent message about problems with your computer, stop. Don’t click on any links, don’t give control of your computer and don’t send any money.
