Anna Crime Watch

Attorney General Abbott Warns Of Grandparent Scam

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

 The Office of the Attorney General is warning retirees and senior citizens to be wary of a grandparentscam. Recent reports indicate that seniors have been receiving telephone calls from a purportedgrandchild in need of money. Usually, the ruse includes a caller who says something like “Hi, grandma,” or “Hey, it’s your favorite grandson.” The caller’s goal is to learn the name of a recipient’s actual grandchild. Sometimes the caller may even have learned the name of the grandchildren in advance – and claim to be a grandchild on the call. The caller typically tells the victim that he or she has been in an accident, was arrested, is stranded or in similar trouble and needs money immediately. Most often, the caller claims to be traveling in Canada. The “grandchild” also insists that the victim not tell anyone else – which increases the odds that the fraud will be successful. If all goes according to the con artist’s plan, the victim will wire money to the “grandchild.” By the time the elderly call recipient realizes what happened, the money is long gone and most likely not recoverable. This type of fraud is particularly troubling, as it plays upon a grandparent’s natural desire to protect a grandchild. Although variations of this scam have been around for a long time, it has become more sophisticated with the proliferation of information on the Internet. Con artists are more often using personal information gleaned from family blogs, genealogy Web sites, social networking Web sites and online newspapers to add credibility to their calls. Reports from law enforcement agencies around the country suggest that the scam works too often. 

Watch out for these red flags:

• Callers requesting money.
• Callers claiming to be in Canada or other foreign location.
• Callers insisting on secrecy.
• Urgent callers pressuring quick action.
•  Callers with unfamiliar voices.
• Callers requesting that money to be sent by wire transfer (because those funds are hard to trackand almost impossible to recover).
• Vague or elusive callers who get personal details wrong. 

Texans should always exercise some skepticism when they receive telephone calls urgently requesting money. If a relative calls and asks for money, they should verify the identity of the caller with personal questions a stranger would not be able to answer. Seniors should not “fill in the blanks” for callers but should ask them to give their names. Texans may also consider calling back using a telephone number they know to be genuine.  Another option is to ignore the caller’s wishes and verify the story with another family member.

Texans who believe they have been the target of a scam should contact the Office of the Attorney General at (800) 252-8011 or online at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.

Other Resources:PhoneBustersCanadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre

(888) 495-8501

www.phonebusters.cominfo@phonebusters.com 

Federal Trade Commission(877) FTC-HELPwww.ftc.gov

Better Business Bureauwww.bbb.org

 Greg Abbott

Most of us take those summonses for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty that a new and ominous kind of fraud has surfaced.

The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo; your identity was just stolen.

The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma , Illinois , and Colorado . This swindle is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.

More information is available on the FBI website.

Over the last week we have experienced two business burglaries and one home burglary.  The business burglaries ocurred on N Powell Pkwy.  It is unknown if the two incidents are related.  The home burglary ocurred during daytime hours (9:00am to 11:00 am).  The suspects kicked open the front door and removed a TV, game console, and laptop computer.  Neighbors said there was a newer model white (possibly Ford) truck parked in the driveway of the residence during those hours.  Suspects are not known at this time but it is suspected that they have been watching the neighborhood.  This incident ocurred in the Pecan Grove subdivision.

Please report any suspicious vehicles or people to the police immediately. 

On December 12, 2008 there was a garage burglary in the Stetson Ranch edition.  The suspect entered an open garage and removed a motorcycle.  The motorcycle was a dirt bike type and was easily placed in the bed of a pick-up truck.  The home owner followed the truck to the car wash on FM 455.  When the suspect accelerated through the parking lot, the bike fell out of the truck and was recovered by the owner. 

The suspect vehicle is an older model green Ford stepside pick-up truck occupied by a white male with dark colored hair.  The license is 71Z-JH8 TX.  If you see this vehicle, please contact Anna Police 972-924-2848.

We remind you to keep your garage doors closed when you are not using the garage.  Keep your vehicles locked and all items out of view.  Thiefs look for opportunity and generally when opportunity knocks, they answer.  Please stay safe and have a happy holiday!

Five Warning Signs Of A Scam

Texans who know their neighbors and are active in their communities help protect our state and prevent crime. From neighborhood watch volunteers to residents reporting suspicious conduct to authorities, vigilant citizens help prevent crime every day. As we kick off National Crime Prevention Month, Texans can help support community crime prevention efforts by learning to recognize and thwart five familiar criminal schemes.

Among the most common avenues used to defraud unsuspecting Texans involves unsolicited telephone calls or spam e-mails. As technology evolves and online communication expands, it is becoming more difficult to identify whether a solicitation is from a legitimate source. Con artists often make up very reasonable-sounding and persuasive stories, or they may pretend to be government officials or other helpful professionals.

When callers or e-mailers claim to represent a trusted company or pitch an interesting offer, Texans should hang up and call the company directly using a number that appears in the local telephone directory. This simple precaution ensures that consumers are talking to an actual company representative.

Efforts to collect Texans’ personal information should always signal a red flag. Every Texan should safeguard their personal information, including bank account numbers and Social Security numbers. Consumers should never disclose sensitive information over the telephone or through e-mail unless they have independently verified who is asking for it and how that person or organization will use the information. Texans also should remember to shred or otherwise properly discard financial statements and other sensitive documents to protect themselves from identity theft.

The third warning sign of a scam is one which cannot be repeated often enough: As tempting as it sounds, Texans can rest assured they did NOT win the Spanish lottery, the Canadian lottery or any other foreign lottery. Sweepstakes and lottery scams continue to snare victims, particularly senior citizens. These offers are merely bait – dangled to hook unsuspecting victims. Texans who receive these solicitations should stop, delete the e-mails, throw away the letters and hang up the telephone.

Texans also should be skeptical of demands for up front, cash payments in exchange for a loan or prize. Under Texas law, it is illegal to require payment before funding a loan or paying out a sweepstakes prize. Texans should immediately back off if told to pay “fees and taxes” up front or verify banking information to claim a prize. Once the money is paid or the bank account is compromised, the criminals will disappear with the victim’s hard-earned money. The promise of a large sum of money tomorrow should not trump good sense today.

Finally, Texans who are considering wiring money overseas in order to claim a prize, a loan, an inheritance or any other large sum of money should immediately STOP – and protect their savings. Con artists often use phony cashier’s checks and wire transfers to avoid felony mail fraud charges. The counterfeit checks are very good – so good, in fact, that even banks have been fooled. Convinced that they’ve received their prize, victims often let down their guard and wire money to cover non-existent fees and taxes. The cashier’s check turns out to be worthless, and the victim’s money is gone.

Whether they use e-mail, telephone calls, or even face-to-face visits, con artists dangle baited hooks in front of honest Texans every day of the week. By recognizing the warning signs of a scam and sharing these tips with family and neighbors, Texans can help strengthen their communities and stop thieves in their tracks.

For more information about National Crime Prevention Month, visit the National Crime Prevention Council online at www.ncpc.org.