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Watchung NJ, a New Jersey real estate developer and attorney each admitted today to conspiring to orchestrate a mortgage fraud scheme that led to over $3.5 million in losses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
file photo by Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Scammers continue to impersonate PSE&G representatives and take advantage of unsuspecting victims. PSE&G urges customers to understand scammers’ tactics and know what to do if confronted with a request for private account information or a demand for immediate payment. If customers are ever in doubt about the legitimacy of a contact from PSE&G, they should call PSE&G at 800-436-PSEG (7734).
Continue reading PSE&G shares how customers can protect themselves against scammers
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Ridgewood NJ, if the cryptocurrency craze feels like a tempting way to make money, or you think you’re missing out, read on. Because, according to the FTC’s new data spotlight, scammers are banking on what you don’t know about cryptocurrency — or scammers’ tricks. And that could cost you serious money.
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Glen Rock NJ, according to the Glen Rock Police at 4:33 PM ,the adult son of a Glen Rock woman contacted police reporting that his mother had been the victim of a “grandparent” scam. Upon interviewing the woman, she recounted receiving a phone call from an individual stating that her grandchild was in jail and needed money for bail. The victim subsequently withdrew $ 9,800 from the bank and a man showed up at her home to collect the money.
Continue reading Glen Rock Senior Falls Prey to “Grandparent” Scam
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Continue reading Cryptocurrency Schemes on the Rise in New Jersey
photo by ArtChick
by Jennifer Leach
Associate Director, Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC
Ridgewood NJ, this has been National Adoption Week for pets, and by now, thousands of dogs and cats might have new homes in the hearts of many thousands of people. But as the holidays approach, scammers know that families are hearing about their kids’ NEED for a dog or cat. And scammers are ready to take advantage by offering up that perfect pet — for a fee. You’ll find ads offering litters of puppies, especially, on websites and listservs online. But once you pay, your supposed pet and the “breeder” will vanish, along with your cash. Here are ways to spot those puppy and pet scammers and stop them in their tracks.
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Upper Saddle River NJ, the Upper Saddle River Police Department received several reports from residents in regards to a party calling residents and requesting to inspect storm damage from the recent storm. The callback number is not a working number and appears to be a possible scamming attempt. Please report any similar incidents to the Upper Saddle River Police Department.
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Wayne NJ, according to Detective Captain Dan Daly the Wayne Police Public Information Officer , following an investigation involving subpoenas for records, the Wayne Police Department has identified and charged a man with defrauding a Wayne resident.
Continue reading Man Charged with Defrauding a Wayne resident in Utilities Bill Scam
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Ridgewood NJ, according to the Ridgewood Police Department ,residents have reported receiving phone calls requesting donations to support the Ridgewood Police Department. The Ridgewood police Department and the New Jersey state Policeman’s Benevolent Association do not solicit funds using telemarketing. Phone calls from organizations claiming they support the local police are often scams.
by Alvaro Puig Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
Ridgewood NJ, Scammers are calling people and using the names of two companies everyone knows, Apple and Amazon, to rip people off. Here’s what you need to know about these calls.
Continue reading Beware of Fake Calls from Apple and Amazon Support
by Jabari Cook
Scammers love to use the same old tricks in new ways. One of their favorites is to pose as a business or government official to pressure you into sending them money or personal information. Now, some scammers are pretending to be popular online shopping websites, phishing for your personal information.
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Ridgewood NJ, Public Service Electric & Gas is warning New Jersey residents that scammers have spoofed one of its phone numbers in attempts to obtain personal information. On Thursday, PSE&G started receiving a small number of inquiries, with calls escalating during business hours today. Many of the callers were returning missed calls that appear to have been made from a PSE&G phone number.
“If you receive an unexpected call from PSE&G in the next few days, particularly if you are not a PSE&G customer, we encourage you to hang up as it may be a scammer,” said Fred Daum, PSE&G’s executive director of customer operations. “If you have pending business with us, such as an appointment or collection notice, call us back on the number provided on your bill or call our customer service line, 800-436-PSEG (7734) or contact us on our website through MyAccount.”
Continue reading PSE&G Issues Scam Alert : PSE&G phone number spoofed by scammers
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Ridgewood NJ, according to Business Insider, scammers have found a new avenue for defrauding unsuspecting victims: Google Maps. The Google-run online map service lets users submit changes and corrections to listings – so would-be fraudsters are changing the contact details listed for banks on the app. Then, when unsuspecting bank customers ring up what they think is their financial institution, the scammers extract their private banking details and use it to empty their accounts.
Continue reading Scammers have found a new avenue for defrauding unsuspecting victims: Google Maps
file photo by Boyd Loving
November 19,2017
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Trenton NJ, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced today that New Jersey residents who were deceived into sending payments to scammers using Western Union’s wire transfer service can now apply for compensation from a $586 million fund related to a multi-state settlement with Western Union in which New Jersey participated.
According to Porrino, New Jersey residents may be eligible to receive compensation if they were the victim of a fraud-induced money transfer using Western Union services between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017.
New Jerseyans who reported to Western Union, or to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, that they were the victim of such a scam may soon receive a claim form in the mail. The claim form will be sent from the Settlement Administrator of a related federal settlement within the next two weeks.
The form will contain instructions explaining how consumers may file their claim to receive compensation. Consumers who do not receive a claim form in the mail but believe they may have an eligible claim can visit www.westernunionremission.com or call 1-844-319-2124 for more information on how to file a claim.
Filing a claim is free, so consumers should not pay anyone to file a claim on their behalf.
No one associated with the claims process will call to ask for consumers’ bank account or credit card number. All completed claims forms must be mailed back to the Settlement Administrator by February 12, 2018.
“Unfortunately, con artists use all types of ruses and tall tales to convince people to wire them money – and they sometimes succeed. Some of these ‘send money’ scams may appeal to the target’s humanitarianism or love of family, while others may suggest the would-be victim needs to wire money in order to claim a big sweepstakes prize,” Porrino said.
“The position of the states in this matter was that Western Union must be more vigilant going forward,” Porrino said, “but consumers can protect themselves, too, by exercising great caution in the face of overtures asking that they send money. If a person is being told a loved one is in need or in danger, we urge that he or she proceed with deliberation and make every effort to authenticate the story independently. And if a supposed ‘bargain’ or ‘contest prize’ sounds too good to be true, it probably is. We recommend that they not take the bait.”
Announced by Attorney General Porrino in January 2017, a multi-state settlement with Western Union Company resolved an investigation by the participating states focused on fraud-induced money transfers – specifically, the wiring of money by unwitting consumers to third-party con artists using Western Union’s wire transfer service.
Under the settlement, Colorado-based Western Union was required to develop and put into action a comprehensive anti-fraud program designed to help detect and prevent future incidents in which consumers who are the victims of fraud utilize Western Union to wire money to those defrauding them.
New Jersey was a member of the multi-state Executive Committee that spearheaded the Western Union investigation. Deputy Attorney General Cathleen O’Donnell, assigned to the Division of Law’s Consumer Fraud Prosecution Section, and Division of Consumer Affairs Chief Investigator Laurie Goodman, as well as Investigator/Team Leader Aziza Salikov, handled the Western Union matter on behalf of the State.
