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Type: Scam Subject: Recent Scams
At the March 20 Spring Symposium Police Chief Lee said they average one successful scam report every week. He said someone recently lost $80,000.
Some recent Lincoln Hills scams:
1…. A male resident/victim and a female “Scammer” were chatting on the “GOOGLE HANGOUT APP” which is similar to Facebook. The female said she needed to pay a hospital bill with “AMAZON GIFT CARDS”. The “Scammer” sent checks to the resident to be used to purchase the “AMAZON GIFT CARDS”. As soon as he (resident/victim) deposited the checks, he purchased the gift cards and sent pictures of the cards to the suspect. When he did that, the suspect stopped payment on the checks. This resident/victim was out a little over $3,000!!!
BE SUSPICIOUS WHENEVER YOU ARE ASKED TO PAY FOR ANYTHING WITH GIFT CARDS!!! WHEN IN DOUBT, CONTACT A RELATIVE, FRIEND OR NEIGHBOR FOR ADVICE BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING!!
2….Telephone scammers are very convincing, especially with the grandchild scam. ASK FOR THE CHILD’S MIDDLE NAME AND CALL THE PARENTS.
3…. Scammers can make anything show on your caller ID, even your own phone number. Recently residents received 8-10 calls in one day with their own caller ID. The calls stopped after they went unanswered. This requires patience but it’s worth it. One person did answer and was told the call was from Microsoft and they were going to cut their service. They immediately hung up. Sometimes the robocalls are testing to see if it is a valid number. If you answer, they will keep you on the list for future calls. MORE ANSWERING LEADS TO MORE CALLS.
Click here to sign up for nomorobo.com which will screen out automated calls.
4…. Aggressive door-to-door salespeople are claiming to be Energy Consultants working with PG&E. DO NOT LET THEM IN. PG&E indicates they do not call or go to homes to offer discounts. You should ask them to leave a card with their identifying information. Individual suppliers of gas or electricity may call or visit. Call PG&E at 1-877-660-6789 M-F 7am-9pm, Sat 8am-6pm to find out if they are legitimate. Or email customerserviceonline@pge.com
The old adage “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.”
New adage: “IF IT’S ALARMING AND/OR URGENT, IT’S PROBABLY NOT TRUE!!”
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