Craig Daily Press / Police: Beware of scams

Archive for Thursday, November 5, 2009

Area residents have lost thousands in recent weeks

November 5, 2009

In the past two weeks, Craig residents have lost almost $25,000 to mail and Internet scams.

A Craig Police Department news release described three of the most common scams that recently have hit close to home.

Some residents have received letters in the mail telling them they have won a lottery in a foreign country. The scam asks the person to pay a certain amount of legal fees and taxes to receive their prize.

In the news release, police department officials warned that no one can win without buying a ticket, and they would not be notified by mail.

Also, foreign lotteries would never ask anyone to pay to receive a prize.

Another common scam involves a request for mystery shoppers.

Scammers will send a person a check for a certain amount of money and ask they wire some of that money to a predetermined location.

The checks are counterfeit, and police officials said to beware of any company that asks you to distribute money from your own pocket.

Also, buying items from strangers over Web sites can sometimes result in losing a payment.

Police officials said people should exercise discretion when buying from Web sites such as eBay, and watch for red flags such as the seller asking for money to be wire transferred.

The police department warned residents to be cautious and investigate suspicious circumstances with banks or law enforcement.

For more information, call sergeant John Forgay at 826-2366.