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Frauds & Schemes continue to plague Wayne County Residents

It has been estimated that County residents lose over $10,000 per week to mail, phone, internet, identity theft and phony contractor scams

When he kept getting a busy signal while calling his elderly mother in her downstairs apartment, the police officer decided to walk down and find out who she was talking to. As he entered her apartment, she was still on the phone, waving with a big grin on her face. “I just won a trip to the Bahamas ,” she exclaimed with joy.

The Wayne County policeman noticed his mother was holding her credit card in one hand, the phone in the other. She quickly explained that because she had built up so many credits with the use of her credit card, the company awarded her the trip.

The police officer immediately got his mother to hang up, but it was too late. The person on the other end of the telephone line had told the elderly woman that in order to secure her room, the hotel needed her credit card number, something she was more than willing to do.

The Wayne County policeman immediately called the credit card company to notify them of the incident. Within a minute, the bogus vacation caller had made a charge of $1 to the woman's credit card account. The reason for this small purchase was to simply confirm how much credit she had on the account. As the officer began the quick process of canceling any transactions on his mother's credit card, the scammer was attempting to empty the woman's account. “I caught it just in time,” said the officer. “Another minute and it would have been too late.”

The officer asked his mother what would prompt her to give out her credit card information over the phone, especially on a card she rarely used. The smooth talker on the phone had simply convinced the woman she qualified for the trip.

A Town of Ontario woman recently answered a mail solicitation to become a “mystery shopper” for an out-of-town company. According to the information she was sent, she could work her own hours by shopping at select stores in the area and evaluating their service, prices and cleanliness. The woman answered the mail piece and was sent a packet of information on how to proceed. She was even given a starter check to begin her shopping spree. All she had to do was deposit the check into her bank account and send a portion on to another party. The check for $3600 was bogus, but by the time the woman's bank cleared the check, she had already forwarded the money per the directions she was given.

Two weeks ago, a Palmyra woman in her 20s, reported receiving a ‘moneygram' from a company calling itself United Disbursement Fund, Inc., informing her she had won $15,000 that she could deposit directly into her account. All she had to do was forward $743 back to the company for insurance and fees involved in the transfer. After complying with the terms, the woman's bank notified her a week later the check was bogus and she was responsible for the loss.

Although the State Police knew the outcome, with the assistance of the Wayne County District Attorney, a subpoena was issued and the police traced United Disbursement Fund. Inc. Even though the “Fund' had a Clearwater , Florida address, the mail was eventually traced to an Atlanta , Georgia address. The Georgia State Fraud Unit traced the mail to a woman named Elizabeth Ovila. The trail ended there, when Georgia had no record of a woman with that name and the street address given simply did not exist. A New York record check revealed a woman by that name in Staten Island , a woman with no previous record and no knowledge her identity was being used in the scam.

According to State Trooper Mike Burdett, the futile attempt at tracing this bogus company, with phony, or using stolen identities and addresses that do not exist, was an exercise in frustration. The Palmyra woman was out her money.

A farmer in one of the eastern Wayne County towns was surprised to learn he was buying a car in New York City . Neither he, nor police knew exactly how his identity was stolen.

Another Wayne County woman found out her ‘luck' was unlucky. After she was informed she had won the Canadian Lottery, she was told she would have to pay the taxes on the money before it could be released. The woman failed to realize she had never actually entered, or bought a ticket for the Canadian Lottery.

Local police agencies agree that scammers work on the ‘greed factor', where those being duped are open for a wide choice of bogus ploys. The elderly, emerging from a more trusting, less electronic age, are prime targets for the scammers.

With the advent of summer, the home contractor schemers are out in force. Knocking on doors, promoting everything from driveway sealing to painting, these roving bands use several techniques to part homeowners from their money. Low estimates that entice a homeowner, turn out to be either shabby work, or bait and switch tactics as the job proceeds. There are numerous accounts of contractors keeping a homeowner busy in the front yard while an accomplice enters the home and burglarizes the residence from a back entrance.

Macedon Police Chief John Colella also warns young people posting resumes on national and local employment job sites. Bogus employers inform work seekers they have a position for them, promising an array of benefits and pay. The potential employee is asked to fill out a online form that includes personal information, including the person's social security number.

The Times tracked police, bank and other agency reports for several months and the results showed Wayne County residents continue to lose in excess of $10,000 per month to scammers. This may be only the tip of the scam iceberg, since the vast majority of victims to assorted scams never come forward.

If you believe you, or a loved one has been the victim of a scam, call 911. Never give your social security number out to a phone or internet solicitor.

Order a copy of your credit report on a regular basis. Each of the three reporting services are required to provide a free report once per year.

Equifax--1-800-685-1111

Experian--1-800-397-3742

TransUnion--1-800-888-4213.