For fraud information on these products, refer to their links below:

Western Union
Money Gram
Green Dot

Lower your chances of falling victim to fraud by checking out these eight things you should never do when using a money transfer service.

Never wire money to people that you don't know or haven't met.
Never wire money to pay for taxes or fees on lottery or prize winnings.
Never purchase a prepaid card at a store and give the number to someone over the phone who has called you requesting you do this.
Never provide your banking information to people or businesses you don’t know.
Never wire money in advance to obtain a loan or credit card.
Never wire money for an emergency situation without verifying that it’s a real emergency.
Never send funds from a check you received in the mail and deposited in your account until it officially clears—which can take weeks.
Never wire a money transfer for online purchases.

Chief Julie Flaherty and the Arlington Police Department would like to provide tips to prevent theft for residents expecting package deliveries. This is particularly relevant during the holiday season. 

According to the National Neighborhood Watch, nearly one in four adults in the United States has reported having a package stolen at least once.

The Arlington Police Department wishes to share the following tips from the National Neighborhood Watch to help prevent package theft:

• Consider getting a P.O. box at your local post office or having packages delivered to your office
• Set up notifications to track your packages
• Install a security camera in the area(s) outside your home where packages may be delivered
• Require a signature upon delivery to ensure packages are never left unattended
• Reschedule delivery or ask for a package hold when on vacation
• Research potential home security technology and locking device options to protect and monitor packages
• Ask your neighbors to grab your packages for safekeeping until you return home
  Sign up for the USPS “Informed Delivery” service, where you can get a daily email with a picture/scan of the mail you will receive that day. To sign up, click here.
• If you believe you have fallen victim to package theft, you should do the following: 
• • Confirm with your delivery company that your package was actually delivered
  • Identify which package was stolen and what the contents of that package were
  • Contact the police immediately and report your package as stolen
  • If you have a security camera on your home, give a copy of the video to police
  • Report the package theft to the applicable carrier: USPS UPS FedEx Amazon
  • Should you happen to witness package theft, do not approach the suspect. Instead, pay attention to what their vehicle looks like and its license plate number. If possible, get a physical description of the suspect to share with the police.

   

  Chief Flaherty would also like to offer tips to holiday shoppers on how to avoid any incidents or theft while shopping in stores and online:

  • As more people are on the road during the holiday season, be sure to drive carefully. Be patient when looking for a parking space. Do not speed up in a parking lot to catch an empty spot. Look for other cars or people when backing out of a parking space, and back out slowly.
  • Keep shopping bags out of plain sight in your vehicle, preferably in your trunk.
  • Keep your purse close to your body or your wallet in an inside coat pocket or front pants pocket.
  • Save your receipts and monitor your credit card activity.
  • When shopping online, stick to retailers you know or have shopped with before.
  • Do not use public Wi-Fi to make purchases in order to prevent hackers from intercepting your information.

  The men and women of the Arlington Police Department wish everyone a safe shopping!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Scammers create a fake Caller ID, which allows them to call you and make it appear that they are calling from a local police, sheriff or other law enforcement agency. They say there is a warrant out for your arrest, but that you can pay a fine in order to avoid criminal charges. Of course, these scammers don't take credit cards; only a Western Union MoneyGram, other wire transfer or prepaid debit card will do.

Auction fraud involves fraud attributable to either the misrepresentation of a product advertised for sale through an Internet auction site or the failure to deliver products purchased through an Internet auction site. Consumers are strongly cautioned against entering into Internet transactions with subjects exhibiting the following behavior:

The seller posts the auction as if he resides in the United States, then responds to victims with a congratulatory email stating he is outside the United States for business reasons, family emergency, etc.

Similarly, beware of sellers who post the auction under one name, and ask for the funds to be transferred to another individual.

The subject requests funds to be wired directly to him/her via Western Union, MoneyGram, or bank-to-bank wire transfer.

Sellers acting as authorized dealers or factory representatives in countries where there would be no such dealers should be avoided.

Buyers who ask for the purchase to be shipped using a certain method to avoid customs or taxes inside another country should be avoided.

Be suspect of any credit card purchases where the address of the card holder does not match the shipping address. Always receive the card holder's authorization before shipping any products.

The counterfeit cashier's check scheme targets individuals that use Internet classified advertisements to sell merchandise. Typically, an interested party located outside the United States contacts a seller. The seller is told that the buyer has an associate in the United States that owes him money. As such, he will have the associate send the seller a cashier's check for the amount owed to the buyer.
The amount of the cashier's check will be thousands of dollars more than the price of the merchandise and the seller is told the excess amount will be used to pay the shipping costs associated with getting the merchandise to his location. The seller is instructed to deposit the check, and as soon as it clears, to wire the excess funds back to the buyer or to another associate identified as a shipping agent. Because a cashier's check is used, a bank will typically release the funds immediately, or after a one or two day hold. Falsely believing the check has cleared, the seller wires the money as instructed.
Shortly thereafter, the victim's bank notifies him that the check was fraudulent, and the bank is holding the victim responsible for the full amount of the check.

The Better Business Bureau frequently receives reports of shady “free” roof inspections. Homeowners should be on the lookout for these cons. 

You receive a call or a person shows up at the door claiming to represent a roofing company. According to Scam Tracker reports, con artists often use the name of the state (i.e. Minnesota or Texas) plus “Roofing” or “Construction” as their business name.

The “roofer” offers a free inspection. Why, you ask? The person may claim that their company is working on a neighbor’s home and is offering inspections to those living nearby. But if you ask questions about where the business is located or how their services work, you’ll most likely be met with vague answers, or, if you are speaking on the phone, they may simply hang up.

You accept the free inspection, and the “inspector” shows up at your house. If they don’t find enough wear and tear to merit a whole new roof, they may fabricate it, by tearing off shingles to mimic wind damage. Or they may simply show you pictures of someone else’s damaged roof. Don’t hire this company! Any repairs done by such a dishonest business are not likely to be high quality.

For more information on this scam, visit the Better Business Bureau website.

Attention all users of Facebook Marketplace and Craisglist! 

The FTC reports that these scammers are targeting people who post things for sale on sites like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. They also prey on people who post looking for help finding their lost pet.

The scammers contact you and say they want to buy the item you’re selling — or that they found your pet. But before they commit to buying your item, or returning your pet, they feign hesitation. They might say they’ve heard about fake online listings and want to verify that you’re a real person. Or they might say they want to verify that you’re the pet’s true owner.

They send you a text message with a Google Voice verification code and ask you for that code. If you give them the verification code, they’ll try to use it to create a Google Voice number linked to your phone number. (Google Voice gives you a phone number that you can use to make calls or send text messages from a web browser or a mobile device.)
So, what’s the harm? The scammer might use that number to rip off other people and conceal their identity. Sometimes these scammers are after a Google Voice verification code and other information about you. If they get enough of your information, they could pretend to be you to access your accounts or open new accounts in your name.

No matter what the story is, don’t share your Google Voice verification code — or any verification code — with someone if you didn’t contact them first. That’s a scam, every time. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

In these types of scams, the perpetrator often calls a grandparent or other relative pretending to be their grandchild/niece/nephew, etc. The caller sounds upset and typically states there are only a few moments to talk. The caller may say that they have a cold if you don't quite recognize their voice, or cue-in on feedback from the call to sound even more convincing. Their story generally follows a familiar line: they were traveling in another country with a friend, and after a car accident or legal infraction, they are in jail and need bail money to be wired to a Western Union account as soon as possible for their quick release. Should you be targeted in this type of scam, there are actions you can take to protect yourself. Although the supposed grandchild may plead with you not to tell his/her family, you should immediately reach out to parents or other relatives to verify the information you receive. In the vast majority of cases, the real relative is safely where he or she should be: at work, school or home.

In lottery scams, scammers generally send an e-mail, fax, or letter to potential victims announcing that they have won a foreign lottery. The "winner" need only provide personal bank account information and pay a few fees up-front to collect his or her substantial winnings. The prize, of course, does not exist. No genuine lottery asks for money to pay fees or notifies it's winners via email. Like other "too good to be true" scams, lottery scams offer the victim great wealth in exchange for paying taxes and other processing fees up-front.
Useful Link: Foreign Lottery Scams

The Council of Aging (COA) warns of a scam to get personal medical information to falsely bill the government (Medicare). The impersonator uses the name of the COA director in town. They proceed to ask a few questions regarding the name of their doctor, type and list of medications prescribed, and the victim's Medicare ID number. The Council on Aging reminds elders and their caregivers that no one will call and ask for a Medicare number. The COA suggests that if you receive a phone call of this nature, you simply hang up without revealing any information. If you have any doubts of the legitimacy of a phone call from Medicare, please hang up and contact Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE.

Named for the violation of Section 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code, the 419 scam combines the threat of impersonation fraud with a variation of an advance fee scheme in which a letter, email, or fax is received by the potential victim. The communication from individuals representing themselves as Nigerian or foreign government officials offers the recipient the "opportunity" to share in a percentage of millions of dollars, soliciting for help in placing large sums of money in overseas bank accounts. Payment of taxes, bribes to government officials, and legal fees are often described in great detail with the promise that all expenses will be reimbursed as soon as the funds are out of the country. The perpetrators will often then use the bank account details to empty their victim's bank account. Often, they convince the victim that money is needed up front, to pay fees or is needed to bribe officials.

Dating and romance scams try to lower your defenses by appealing to your romantic or compassionate side. They play on emotional triggers to get you to provide money, gifts or personal details. Scammers target victims by creating fake profiles on legitimate internet dating services. Once you are in contact with a scammer, they will express strong emotions for you in a relatively short period of time and will suggest you move the relationship away from the website, to phone, email and/or instant messaging. They will go to great lengths to gain your interest and trust, such as sharing personal information and even sending you gifts. Scammers may also take months, to build what seems like the romance of a lifetime and may even pretend to book flights to visit you, but never actually come. Once they have gained your trust they will ask you (either subtly or directly) for money, gifts or your banking/credit card details.
Warning signs:

You meet someone on an internet dating website and their profile picture or photograph looks different to their description or like it’s from a magazine.
After gaining your trust, they tell you an elaborate story and ask for money, gifts or your bank account/credit card details.
They continue to ask you for money.

Useful link: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/safety-resources/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/romance-scams

Phishing and spoofing are somewhat synonymous in that they refer to forged or faked electronic documents. Spoofing generally refers to the dissemination of email which is forged to appear as though it was sent by someone other than the actual source. Phishing, often utilized in conjunction with a spoofed email, is the act of sending an email falsely claiming to be an established legitimate business in an attempt to dupe the unsuspecting recipient into divulging personal, sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, and bank account information after directing the user to visit a specified website. The website, however, is not genuine and was set up only as an attempt to steal the user's information.

Rental scams occur when the victim has rental property advertised and is contacted by an interested party. Once the rental price is agreed-upon, the scammer forwards a check for the deposit on the rental property to the victim. The check is to cover housing expenses and is, either written in excess of the amount required, with the scammer asking for the remainder to be remitted back, or the check is written for the correct amount, but the scammer backs out of the rental agreement and asks for a refund. Since the banks do not usually place a hold on the funds, the victim has immediate access to them and believes the check has cleared. In the end, the check is found to be counterfeit and the victim is held responsible by the bank for all losses.

With improved technology and world-wide Internet access, spam, or unsolicited bulk email, is now a widely used medium for committing traditional white collar crimes including financial institution fraud, credit card fraud, and identity theft, among others. It is usually considered unsolicited because the recipients have not opted to receive the email. Generally, this bulk email refers to multiple identical messages sent simultaneously.
Spam can also act as the vehicle for accessing computers and servers without authorization and transmitting viruses and botnets. The subjects masterminding this Spam often provide hosting services and sell open proxy information, credit card information, and email lists illegally.

The IRS warns of a scam where potential victims are told to pay back taxes or fines or face dire consequences, including arrest, jail time, having their utilities shut off, having their driver’s licenses revoked, or deportation. The callers may be insulting or hostile in their attempts to scare their potential victims. In a twist to this scam, the callers may advise the intended victims they are entitled to a refund, but must give personal information or pay something first in order to get it. The IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications through email.

The tips below are good to follow for avoiding Phone Scams:

Don’t be pressured into giving out credit card numbers or wiring money to purchase anything from someone over the phone that you don’t know.
Don’t give out personal information--including something as simple as an email address--to sign up for contests, free subscriptions or any other offer made over the phone from someone you don’t know. Sometimes a scammer may ask for “verification” of an address, social security number, etc. In reality, he is just phishing for that information, which may be used later in additional scam attempts.
Hang up. Feel free to hang up at any time and don’t answer the phone if the caller dials again.

Here are some additional tips you can use to avoid becoming a victim of cyber fraud:

Do not respond to unsolicited (spam) e-mail.
Do not click on links contained within an unsolicited e-mail.Be cautious of an e-mail claiming to contain pictures in attached files; the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders. Scan the attachments for viruses if possible.
Avoid filling out forms contained in e-mail messages that ask for personal information.
Always compare the link in the e-mail to the link you are actually directed to and determine if they match and will lead you to a legitimate site.
Log on directly to the official website for the business identified in the e-mail instead of “linking” to it from an unsolicited e-mail. If the e-mail appears to be from your bank, credit card issuer, or other company you deal with frequently, your statements or official correspondence from the business will provide the proper contact information.
Contact the actual business that supposedly sent the e-mail to verify that the e-mail is genuine.
If you are requested to act quickly or there is an emergency that requires your attention, it may be a scam. Fraudsters create a sense of urgency to get you to act quickly.

Sometimes people fall victim to scams. If it happens, here are steps to take:

Check your credit report to ensure no one is trying to open credit using your credentials. The three major credit reporting companies are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
Put an initial fraud alert on your credit report. This alert makes it harder for someone to open an account in your name because a business must verify your identity before it can issue credit. The alert stays valid for 90 days.
Check your bank account and credit card statements for any unusual activity.
Contact a financial institution directly if you think an account there may have been breached.
Report the crime to your local police and www.consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/.
If you fear your identity may be stolen, file an identity theft report: www.consumer.ftc.gov.