the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Several individuals and groups are attempting to leverage the COVID-19 pandemic in order to cause panic and scam unsuspecting residents. NJOHSP urges all residents to ensure the validity of information from online platforms and be wary of scams targeting unwitting residents, virtually and physically.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, Senator Declan O’Scanlon’s legislation to protect vulnerable senior citizens and people with disabilities from theft scams passed the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee.
“Seniors have always been prime targets for criminals who prey on their trusting nature and easy demeanor,” said O’Scanlon (R-13). “As technology has developed, it has become easier to find victims and raid their life savings. This can be devastating for people living on fixed incomes.”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Jersey City NJ, WARNING – From Jersy City Police Officers Benevolent Association (@JerseyCityPOBA)
We have been alerted that there are numerous GoFundMe pages set up for Det. Joseph Seals most, if not all, are fake.
Do not donate to any GoFundMe or for Det. Seals at this time.
The @NJSPBA will coordinate with @JerseyCityPOBA on an official effort. More information to follow.
THIS IS THE OFFICIAL DONATION PAGE FOR DETECTIVE SEALS FAMILY.
IT IS SUPPORTED BY JERSEY CITY POLICE OFFICERS BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION AND THE NEW JERSEY STATE PBA.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
HACKENSACK NJ, The Bergen County Sheriff’s Office is aware of a recent phone scam were perpetrators of this fraud “spoof” their number in an attempt to appear as if they are calling from the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office general phone number.
Continue reading Sheriff Cureton Issues Warning of Scam Attempting to Impersonate Bergen County Sheriff’s Office
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police report a Godwin Avenue resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters on October 14, 2019 to report a fraud. The victim reported he received a phone call and was convinced to provide personal information to the actor who impersonated a federal agent. The victim reported he provided his social security number to the fraudulent caller. The victim was advised of the precautions to take after providing personal information.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, If you receive a call from a #PSEG number asking you to pay a past due balance in cash, schedule a meter reading, accept a bill reduction and/or asking for personal information – hang up. These calls are NOT being made by us but by scammers. For info on scams and frauds visit https://spr.ly/6186EFuay To reach customer service, please call 1-800-436-7734
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Newark NJ, A Nigerian national extradited from Canada will appear in court today for his alleged role in a scheme that defrauded vendors of office products valued at nearly $1 million by “phishing” e-mail login information from government employees, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Olumide Ogunremi, a/k/a “Tony Williams,” was charged by indictment on Sept. 28, 2018, with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was extradited to the District of New Jersey on Sept. 26, 2019, and appeared today before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court, where he pleaded not guilty and was detained without bail.
Continue reading Government Employees Targeted by Nigerian “phishing” Attacks
by James Brown CPA
Ridgewood NJ, Every year, the vast majority of taxpayers file their returns with the IRS between the end of January and the April due date. However, the IRS does not just take taxpayers’ word regarding the information on their returns. For this reason, tax season is followed by “matching season,” when the IRS attempts to match the information on each taxpayer’s return with the information from the various returns that other entities (employers, financial firms, educational institutions, the insurance marketplace, etc.) have filed. The goal is to identify possible accidental oversights and intentional omissions.
When the IRS finds a discrepancy, it sends the taxpayer one of many form letters to detail the discrepancy and to describe the options for dealing with the issue. Receiving such a letter inevitably causes a person’s heart rate to jump a little; everyone dreads receiving correspondence from the IRS.
Continue reading Watch Out for Those Fake IRS Letters
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
NEWARK NJ, A South Carolina man was indicted today on charges that he defrauded at least 20 people by soliciting investments in a phony foreign currency trading scheme, Attorney for the United States Rachael Honig announced.
Thomas Lanzana, 51, of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, and formerly of New Jersey, was charged by indictment with two counts of wire fraud and one count of commodities fraud. He was previously charged with the same offenses by criminal complaint on Aug. 10, 2018.
Continue reading Former NJ Native Indicted for Running $1.1 Million Foreign Currency Ponzi Scheme
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
PEARL RIVER NY ,The busy end-of-summer season is now in full swing and crooks are counting on an unsuspecting public letting down its guard – distracted with summer vacations ending, adults returning to work, students returning to school.
As a result, Orange and Rockland customers are being hounded by a new round of persistent predatory phone calls from phony bill collectors trying to steal their money.
The scheme goes this way: individuals posing as O&R employees call unsuspecting customers and threaten them with the immediate shut off of their electric service if they don’t pay phony O&R bills with Green Dot or other prepaid debit cards.
Continue reading ORANGE & ROCKLAND WARNS: CROOKS MAKE SUMMER’S END PUSH IN BILL PAYMENT FRAUD
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report a South Broad Street resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters on June 14th to report a fraud. The victim reported an unknown actor contacted her by phone, identified themselves as a representative of the Department of Treasury and persuaded the victim into providing her social security number. The victim then realized the caller was attempting to scam her when the caller requested money to prevent arrest.
Continue reading Ridgewood Resident Hit “Department of Treasury ” Scam
As summer nears and as we being to plan our vacations, I would like to share with you some tips to avoid getting scammed. By now, all of us have received fake phone calls and emails claiming that we have won a free vacation. So many people have been victimized by these scams. The Federal Trade Commission offers the following tips to avoid being scammed:
Do some research:
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, we have mentioned this in the past but it bears repeating, for scammers, your Social Security number is a gold-plated and diamond-encrusted asset, and now they have a new way to try to steal yours and get paid.
Consumer advocates are raising an alarms about a twist to an old impostor phone scam. It’s called the “Social Security impostor scam.” A blog at the Federal Trade Commission recently wrote: “In the shady world of government, the SSA scam may be the new IRS scam.”
Continue reading Warning that your Social Security number has been suspended because of suspicious activity……
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, according to the Ridgewood Police Department a Van Buren Street resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters on March 12th to report being the victim of bad checks. The victim reported after agreeing to provide a private loan in the amount of $219,000 for a real estate renovation she began to receive checks which were deposited and returned for insufficient funds. Det. Peter Youngberg provided the victim with instructions on how to proceed with attempting to collect the debt through civil court or signing criminal complaints.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office reminds you to be careful giving out information over the phone . The Ridgewood blog has received numerous emails from readers and alerts from many law enforcement agencies on phone scams . Phone scams have become an epidemic .
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office asks, Have you received one of these calls lately?
Continue reading Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Releases, “Phone Scam Cheat Sheet “
