Social media posts are used to build victim profiles
Sedona AZ (December 18, 2012) – ‘Tis the season for fraud scams which appear on the increase over the holiday season. Two recent scams reported to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office targeted seniors. Senior citizens tend to trust initial information and may be too embarrassed to seek advice.
The first scam was offered on Craigslist, a free on-line listing website. Many scams are perpetrated through buying and selling on Craigslist. In this case, the Black Canyon City victim found two ATVs and a trailer for sale at a listing price of $2800. The 64-year-old female victim thought it was too good to be true, but decided to enquire anyway.
The victim received photos of the ATVs as well as a convincing story explaining why they were being sold so cheaply. The seller added they could handle the transaction securely through the “Google Checkout” service which acts as a clearing house for vehicle sales between private parties.
The buyer went to the website supplied by the seller which provided instructions for using “Google Checkout.” This included making the $2800 payment via Western Union, then faxing the receipt to “Google Checkout.”
Once the buyer had made this payment, the seller demanded $1500 to ship the ATVs. The buyer refused, saying he would pick up the ATVs personally. The seller refused and told the buyer that the ATVs were already in possession of the shipper. The buyer attempted to verify this via “Google Checkout,” but was unable locate transaction details.
The YCSO deputy’s investigation revealed the buyer had been “spoofed” as the so-called seller used website screen images from “Google Checkout” modified with information to misdirect the victim. In most cases of “spoofing,” the modified site tells the buyer to make payments via a wire service, such as “Western Union,” which generally provides the suspect immediate access to a cash payout that is difficult to trace.
The authentic “Google Checkout” never uses a third party to handle the money. The ATV sales scam involving “Google Checkout” is widespread around the United States. Be warned.
The second scam case involved telephone fraud. In this case, an 82-year-old man from Black Canyon City received a call from a “police officer” who used the name “Jim Pearson” representing an agency in New Mexico. The victim was told his daughter was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a traffic stop. The vehicle was found to contain marijuana that had been traced to the Philippines. The “officer” further stated that Philippine police want to extradite his daughter unless she could post a $1900 bond.
A female then came on the phone impersonating his daughter, including the use of her true name. The victim went to Western Union and wired the money as instructed. He then called his daughter’s number and found out she was safe at her home located out of state. Realizing he had been scammed, he contacted Western Union immediately and was able to get the money transfer stopped.
The victim in this case is lucky because he acted quickly to stop the payment. In the majority of these cases, the money is transferred, picked up quickly by the suspects, and nearly impossible to trace.
Although not confirmed in this case, many times suspects will use social media access to identify potential targets. The suspects then develop a family profile which is used to convince victims that circumstances are authentic while creating a false sense of urgency.
Citizens can contact the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office with information or questions at 928-771-3260 or the YCSO website www.ycsoaz.gov.
Do not hesitate to contact the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office because everyone, including law enforcement, has been fooled at one time or another. Call the YCSO today and let’s work together to bring criminals to justice.
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