KINGMAN - If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, according to law enforcement.
Representatives from the Kingman Police Department recently hosted a workshop aimed at protecting residents from identity theft as part of Mohave Community College's Coffee at the College monthly program.
"As soon as we get a handle on one scam, they'll go and do something else," said Det. Dennis Gilbert. He and Sgt. Bob Fisk used dozens of real examples of fictitious sweepstakes and lotteries sent to local residents to underscore the prevalence of fraud through the mail and Internet.
Gilbert said he didn't have any statistics on the fraud - police receive hundreds of reports of scams a year - but added that much of the it goes unreported because people are embarrassed to admit that they were taken advantage of.
Seniors make especially easy targets because they are more trusting and less likely to be familiar with technology, thus unaware of the classic tip-offs to some scams, he said.
For example, Gilbert said to be wary of any sweepstakes that contacts a person unsolicited. These contests often include "processing or clearance fees" or taxes to get an individual their "winnings."
"Why wouldn't they just take those fees out of what you won?" Gilbert said.
"Something's not right," Gilbert said.
It is also against the law for a foreign country to host a lottery in the United States, meaning that all those Canadian lottery forms are bogus.
"As soon as it says international, it's not for you," Gilbert said.
Even seemingly legitimate contests may simply be a means for a company to collect - and then sell - your personal information.
The scammers also prey on people's sense of security when it comes to their families. One woman in Kingman recently lost $9,000 when she wired money to a person she thought was her grandson. The con artist told the woman that he needed her help in Canada and to wire the money through Western Union.
By the time the woman contacted other family members and learned she had been swindled, the man - and the money - were long gone.
Gilbert said police have little recourse when the fraud is committed out of the country.
"Subpoenas don't work like everyone thinks they do," Gilbert said. "We can't go into another country and just apply our laws."
Fisk urged people not to bank on checks that look legit either, since check stock can now be purchased by anyone at an office supply store.
While there are no fail-proof ways to avoid getting scammed, police urged residents to monitor their monthly statements and to obtain credit reports from all three credit-reporting agencies to make sure there is no suspicious activity, such as information about a line of credit you never applied for.
Gilbert said people should also invest in a home shredding machine to discard personal documents and to safeguard personal information such as Social Security numbers and passwords.
Reader Comments
Posted: Sunday, December 27, 2009
Article comment by:
Jerri Penrod
I had one come on my cell phone from facebook that said it was my cousin and she had went to Italy and that she was stranded and out of money to get back home. It said for me to wire the money through Western Union and she would pay me back when she got home. This message was sent to 15 other members in our family and each amount was different but high dollars. Thank goodness none of us did what it said because we called my aunt first to see it was true that my cousin was on a trip...So please be aware of what you receive.
Posted: Friday, December 25, 2009
Article comment by:
anonymous
aw, shucks - I was just about to forward all my personal information and some processing fees to this nice-sounding guy from Burkina Faso in Africa, who told me that a long-lost relative with my last name had been killd in an airplance crash along with a couple cabinet ministers, and had left me $15 million. Now that the cabinet ministers were out of the way, regulations could be set aside and my new-found friend in Burkina Faso can get his hands on my inheritance for me. Are you telling me I'm being set up?
