Tag: scams

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Ridgewood Residents Targeted with “IRS Investigator” Scams

phone-scam
June 29,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood police report a number of IRS Investigator scams , first a South Pleasant Avenue resident reported on 6/27/16 he received a suspicious phone call from a person who identified himself as an IRS Investigator. The caller advised the resident he owed back taxes and requested payment immediately. The resident became suspicious and contacted his accountant who informed him this was a scam and to call the police to report the incident. The resident reported he never provided personal information or banking information to the caller and requested a report as a matter of record.

On 6/24/16 a Fairway Road resident responded to headquarters to report a Fraud. The victim reported he began receiving phone calls from a person who identified himself as a Tax Agent advising the victim he had committed tax fraud. The caller persuaded the victim into purchasing and transferring $2000 in Apple Gift Cards.

The Ridgewood Police also report a victim of identity fraud; a South Irving Street resident responded to headquarters on 6/20/16 to report his personal information was used to open a fraudulent Verizon account. The victim reported the fraudulent account was opened by Verizon Wireless of New York. Verizon reported the account was opened at a Verizon Wireless store by someone utilizing his name, Social Security number, and home address. The victim’s account was not charged and Verizon Wireless is investigating.

The Ridgewood Police Department would like to remind citizens of the increased amount of scams. Always investigate communications made through postal mail, telephone, and/or the internet to prevent fraud and deceptive activity. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Ridgewood Police Department to ensure you’re not becoming a victim of these scams.

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Ridgewood Police report a series of identity fraud and scams in the Village of Ridgewood

Nigerian scam michael-scott-
March 29,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, Ridgewood Police report a series of identity fraud and scams in the Village of Ridgewood.

On March 25 at about 11:45am, a Ridgewood resident reported that they had been involved in a possible scam. The resident had located a vehicle for sale through Wallapop and the seller had requested the resident purchase a Vanilla Gift Card to exchange funds for the vehicle. The resident got suspicious and did not follow through with the purchase.

On March 26, a Ridgewood resident reported that both his and his son’s social security numbers were used to file fraudulent tax returns. On March 28, another resident reported the same issue.

On March 26, a Ridgewood resident reported that someone had made unauthorized purchases from a department store using the victim’s credit card information.

According to the USA.GOV there are several ways to prevent Identity theft.

Take steps to protect yourself from identity theft:

Secure your social security number. Don’t carry your social security card in your wallet or write your number on your checks. Only give out your social security number (SSN) when absolutely necessary.

Don’t respond to unsolicited requests for personal information (your name, birthdate, social security number, or bank account number) by phone, mail, or online.

Watch out for “shoulder surfers.” Shield the keypad when typing your passwords on computers and at ATMs.
Collect mail promptly. Ask the post office to put your mail on hold when you are away from home.

Pay attention to your billing cycles. If bills or financial statements are late, contact the sender.

Review your receipts. Ask for carbon copies and incorrect charge slips as well. Promptly compare receipts with account statements. Watch for unauthorized transactions.

Shred receipts, credit offers, account statements, and expired cards, to prevent “dumpster divers” from getting your personal information.

Store personal information in a safe place at home and at work.

Install firewalls and virus-detection software on your home computer.

Create complex passwords that identity thieves cannot guess easily. Change your passwords if a company that you do business with has a breach of its databases.

Order your credit report once a year and review to be certain that it doesn’t include accounts that you have not opened. Check it more frequently if you suspect someone has gained access to your account information.

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Is that ATM safe to use? Maybe not…

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By Ted Sherman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

ENGLEWOOD—The bank robbery occurred at the Citibank branch in a quiet North Jersey suburb.There were no alarms, no guns, no menacing notes and no threats of violence. More than $52,000 was taken and the bank in Englewood didn’t even know it had been robbed until long after the cash went out the door.

That same day in December 2012, just a week before Christmas, the same guys hit another Citibank in Florham Park. And over the next three weeks they would target additional branches of the bank in New Jersey and New York—walking away with more than $1 million in cash taken from Citibank ATM machines through hundreds of counterfeit bankcards encoded with personal information stolen from unsuspecting customers.

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/03/is_that_atm_safe_to_use_watch_a_team_rig_a_cash_ma.html?ath=9c46bfc08d76232bb5a5e00eeaf0bfa2#cmpid=nsltr_strybutton

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Medical records worth more on black market than credit card numbers

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“As attackers discover new methods to make money, the healthcare industry is becoming a much riper target because of the ability to sell large batches of personal data for profit,” said Dave Kennedy, an expert on healthcare security and CEO of TrustedSEC LLC. “Hospitals have low security, so it’s relatively easy for these hackers to get a large amount of personal data for medical fraud.”

“One method that can help stop electronic medical records theft is to seek out a physician that uses paper records. Orient suggests asking health care providers which system is used before agreeing to treatment.”

Medical records worth more on black market than credit card numbers

By soaznewsx on December 7, 2015

By Harry Alexander / SoAzNewsX

For many years the public has been warned about credit card and identity theft. The public has also been deluged with advertising from companies that pledge they can keep your personal information safe from hackers.

Indeed, while credit card number theft and identity theft is important, there is another type of personal identity theft that seems to go unreported in the mainstream media.

Medical records theft and Medicare fraud.

Dr. Jane Orient, the Executive Director of the American Assoication of Physicians and Surgeons, said on the Dec. 5 Inside Track radio program that medical records theft is rampant. One of the topics was electronic medical records.

“Anybody who does healthcare treatment, operations, or claims payment has legitimate access to those records,” she said. And, those are the records that can be hacked or even stolen by medical personnel wanting to make some money on the side, she said.

“Once it’s out there, it’s gone,” Orient said.

https://soaznewsx.com/medical-records-worth-more-on-black-market-than-credit-card-numbers/?utm_source=Monday%2C+Dec.+7%2C+2015+Edition&utm_campaign=12%2F07%2F2015&utm_medium=email

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Scammers take Ridgewood Resident for $2600

Nigerian scam michael-scott-
September 13,2015
the staff of the Ridggewood blog
Ridgewod NJ, Ridgewood Police report that on Tuesday September 8, 2015 a Godwin Avenue resident reported receiving a solicitation via the United States Postal Service from a health care company offering him/her an employment opportunity.

The victim subsequently received bank checks totaling $2,610 with instructions that he/she was asked to deposit said checks into his/her personal bank account. The victim was then asked to wire funds to a client from the account via a money gram. By the time the checks were determined to be fraudulent the victim had already wired funds from his/her personal account.

This type of fraud has been reported with varying schemes frequently targeting the elderly and unemployed but a new spin has been reported recently targeting college students seeking part time employment. Under no circumstance should you use your personal bank account nor should any legitimate company request you do so to process or covert company monies.

So why do they ask you to wire money – through companies like MoneyGram and Western Union – is like sending cash. Once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. That’s one reason scammers often insist that people wire money, especially to addresses overseas. It’s nearly impossible to reverse the transfer, trace the money, or track the recipients.

Anytime someone ask you to deposit a check its a scam . Scammers ask you to deposit a check for them, and then wire money back to them. The scam is that the check is fake. It will bounce, and you’ll owe your bank the money you withdrew. By law, banks must make the funds from deposited checks available within a few days, but it can take weeks to uncover a fake check. It may seem that the check has cleared and that the money is in your account. But if a check later turns out to be a fake, you’ll owe the bank any money you withdrew.

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Another Ridgewood Resident Targeted IRS Payment Scheme

phone-scam
August 21,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report that on Wednesday, August 19, 2015 an East side resident reported receiving a suspicious telephone call from a person claiming to be from the United States Internal Revenue Service who said that he/she owed back taxes. The caller requested the resident deposit the money in a Wells Fargo Bank account that they provided an account number for or risk arrest by the police.

While threatening with arrest, the caller also claimed to be from the Ridgewood Police Department. The caller was able to mimic real phone numbers for both the IRS and the Ridgewood Police Department. Fortunately the caller was suspicious and determined that the call was fraudulent.
These types of scams are on the rise and frequently target the elderly. Please be suspicious of calls or internet contacts requesting money and lookout for friends or neighbors who may be targeted by similar scams. Neither the IRS nor the Ridgewood Police Department would be contacting you by phone to request money.All defendants are considered to be innocent until found guilty by a court of law.