Judges in Henry and Hamilton Counties learned that residents received phone calls making false claims about missed jury service. The caller accused the victims of not reporting for jury duty and offered ways to resolve the situation. The victims were offered to appear in court or to provide financial information in order to pay a fine.
A LaPorte woman who recently purchased a new computer was the victim of a scam Saturday night, according to LaPorte Police. She told the officer she got a call on her cell phone Saturday night from a man with a foreign accent who identified himself as “Mark Williams” from Dell. The caller told her that her new computer had been hacked and said he was going to help her fix it. He reportedly told her to go to SHOWMYPC.com, which she did. The suspect confirmed the victim’s name and email address, which he already knew. Once he did this, he then had remote access over her computer and she was not longer controlling it.
The suspect brought up an 8-digit number which he had the victim read back. He advised her that 80 percent of her computer had been hacked, but he was able to fix it for the next 15 years. He then told her she now had to pay him $99 for the service. The victim became suspicious and told him she was not paying him any money at this time and would call him back. The suspect was reportedly insistent that the victim pay him immediately. His name, ID number and telephone number were listed in a message box on the computer screen. The victim confirmed this information with him before she hung up, but when she called the number back she reached a sex hotline. Continue reading
The victim told LaPorte police that she recently received notification that the PIN for her Indiana Child Support VISA card had been changed. She did not initiate the change. She also found three separate charges to her account in the amount of $393. All of the transactions were made in Elm Hornchurch, London, England.
This latest scam typically threatens to arrest the victim if they don’t pay the fines for some fabricated crime or debt and, to make matters worse, the crooks often have some personal information about the victim, which make them seem more legitimate.
Officials from Indiana Department of Homeland Security advise you to be organized in volunteer efforts and to give money through the proper channels, as opposed to donating items.
1st Source Bank has received calls from concerned residents who have received phone calls that their debit card has been deactivated. The caller then instructs the victim to enter account information to reactivate the card. 1st Source Bank officials remind you that they will not call you, text you or email you asking for your account number, PIN number or password.
If you receive an email from security@wellsfargo with a subject of “Wells Fargo Notification” with a message ID number, do not open it.
The Internal Revenue Service has released a warning for consumers regarding a sophisticated phone scam that targets taxpayers, including recent immigrants, throughout the country. Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.
Sheriff Oscar Cowen said the scammer will tell you that a debit card that you have with First Farmers Bank is lost and you need to press numbers on your phone and give out personal information in order to remedy the situation.
Sheriff Cowen noted that many times the person receiving the call will not even have an account with First Farmers. He assured that this is a scam and not to give any untrusted source any personal information, including your debit card, credit card, Social Security Number, or banking information.
The Better Business Bureau cautions you to avoid being scammed. When donating to charities, make sure they are legitimate. Confirm the charity’s corporation partners by checking online and verifying sources. Do not give cash and make a check out to the organization and not to the individual. It is best not to give out your credit card number or other personal information in response to unsolicited donation requests. Keep records of your donations with receipts, canceled checks or bank statements to document your giving for taxes.
An official at the First Farmers Bank and Trust branch told WKVI that an automated message from an unknown source will call random citizens telling them that First Farmers Bank and Trust bought Bank of Indiana and debit cards need to be reactivated with the new bank.
Scammers are exploiting the ACA as a way to fool you into sharing your personal information.
Here is how the scam works: a caller claims to be from the federal government. That “representative” will inform you that you’ve been selected to receive insurance cards through the new Affordable Care Act, but before you can receive the cards you must provide your bank’s routing number and your account number. Plus, they could ask for your Social Security number, Medicare ID or other personal information.
In the latest attempt to rob you of your hard-earned money, a consumer may receive a phone call from someone claiming to work for the utility company, with a fake number showing on the consumer’s caller ID. The caller will claim the customer has a delinquent bill, threaten to disconnect service and demand immediate payment, often with a prepaid debit card.
“What we always tell them is to just hang up. Don’t give out any personal information. Medicare will never call you. ‘Cause that’s what they say – sometimes they say they’re from Medicare – they want to confirm their information,” said Stone.
A new scam has begun to surface in southeastern Indiana and officials are concerned it could move to our area. While the scam is by no means new, it has been successful for the scammers in other areas of the United States. The scam involves a phone call advertising the target that they have placed second or third in the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, winning hundreds of thousands of dollars, and are asked to wire money via Western Union to cover taxes and processing fees.
