Phone Scams Once Again Making Their Way into Santa Cruz.

The latest case involved a remake on the ol’, “Your grandchild is in jail and needs bail money” scheme.   The caller impersonated a San Jose Police Officer, and ever-so courteously instructed the victim on how to use a prepaid cash/credit card from GreenDot.com. 

We have also recently heard of individuals calling and impersonating an IRS Agent asking for back-owed taxes, etc. 

The common thread in all of these scams is a request for payment through a prepaid cash/credit card or a Western Union money transfer. 

Here are some good general rules go to by EVERY TIME:

• If the caller demands payment by phone….High likelihood it is a SCAM
• If the caller wants payment using a prepaid cash/credit card…..Hang Up – It is a SCAM
• If the caller wants payment via a Western Union Moneygram or other money wire service…Hang Up – It is a SCAM

These callers are unscrupulous.  Among their favorite target are the elderly.  They will call repeatedly and oftentimes berate the victim.  Simply inform them that you have made note of their number, and are recording the call to turn over to the police.  You have our permission to record such calls for evidentiary purposes.  Then, follow up with a call to the police department to report this.    

If someone tries to use the bail money scheme, remember, you can call the custody facility and verify the information through their booking unit.  Don’t use the phone number the scammer gives you.  Look up the actual number on their Webpage, compare it to the one given, and the call the number listed on their Webpage. 

Be safe and let’s not make it easy for the crooks! 

 

The Latest Phone Scam Invoking Name of Police Department....Don't Fall For It

Yet another in a series of phone scams

In this case, the caller claims to be an attorney representing some interest and claims money is owed to them.  The caller (masquerading as an attorney) makes threats to the victim if the money is not paid. 

When our caller hung up on the pretend attorney, they received a second call.  Here’s the unique twist

The second call showed a caller ID as having come from the Santa Cruz Police Department.  A simple spoofing program can change that information.

This time the caller is a female claiming to be a Santa Cruz Police Department detective.  The fake detective claims she is in the process of getting an arrest warrant, but will halt the process if the victim agrees to pay the owed money.  Unfortunately, our victim paid money. 

First…Let’s be clear….the Police Department does not work in cahoots with bill collectors, and we don’t get warrants for people to assist the bill collectors. 

Next….Police Department phone numbers don’t come up on your caller ID as "Santa Cruz Police Department".  All of our numbers here at the Police Department have a “420” prefix….Yes, we are aware of the irony there!!!

Finally, if you are in doubt, you can always call us back.  Just call our main office line at (831) 420-5810 and we will direct you to the person who is trying to call you.  Or you can simply ask for a call back number and then verify that number with the directory on our Website. 

And the kicker…..Never, Ever, Ever pay someone via a Western Union MoneyGram, or prepaid credit cards.  As soon as you hear those words, your SCAM alarm should be sounding as loud as possible.  Don’t be an easy target for these crooks. 

If you get a call like this, please report it, we’d love to meet the person on the other end.  We have a parting gift of bracelets for them! 

Beware of New Telephone & Computer SCAM

Beware of a new telephone and computer scam making its way through the city.  So far, they have claimed 2 victims.  Here’s how it works:

The caller claims to be a representative of Microsoft.  They will sound like a remote call center.  The caller will attempt to sell you a virus protection product from Microsoft.  They will ask for your credit card for the sale.

 If you do not want to purchase the product they offer to give you a FREE TRIAL which they will DOWNLOAD and INSTALL REMOTELY.  DON’T DO THIS!!! 

The caller will direct you to “View My PC” and have you download that product.  They will then ask for access codes to your computer.  The caller will tell you not to touch your computer because the download and installation process will take a few hours.

 

When you come back to your computer, you will find they are conducting financial transactions on your computer with your money and accounts.  

We cannot say this enough…..

1. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give access codes to anyone over the phone that you do not personally know.
2. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER allow the remote download and install of any product you do not know. 
3. Report suspicious calls and sales scams.   

Information is a commodity in the criminal world.  Don’t be an easy target for them. 

 

If it sounds suspicious…it is!

If it sounds too good to be true….it is!