Phone scammers targeting Placer County
Placer County is getting hit hard by phone scams. Savvy scammers are making money by using new tactics.
Victims have reported to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office that they were contacted by someone saying they are from PG&E or another utility service. The victim is told that their service will be shut off if there is no immediate payment made. The victim is instructed to make the payment using “Green Dot MoneyPaks.” One local victim was scammed out of $2,900.
The second scam is when a victim gets a call from someone claiming to be a family member in jail or in a medical facility. The victim is instructed to send a “Moneygram” to a specified location.
A Green Dot MoneyPak is a prepaid card usually used by people who don’t have bank accounts. The cards are available at retail stores for $4.95. They can be loaded with up to $500 at most retailers or $1,000 if used at Walmart, and then used to shop online or to add money to a PayPal account.
Victims are told to buy a Green Dot MoneyPak card, load it with a specific amount of cash, and transfer the serial number to the swindler who then transfers the money to another card.
Scammers like using Green Dot MoneyPak cards because it isn’t linked to a bank account and just like cash, it’s untraceable. Unlike cash, though, the transaction can be done over the phone, so it’s totally anonymous, making it just about impossible to catch the criminal.
Sheriff’s deputies are reminding citizens to never give personal information to a stranger and to be wary of anyone who calls on the phone trying to collect a debt.
Just use common sense ,
I keep getting calls from someone who tells me that my computer is hacked and they will help me fix it. They say they are from microsoft, have a very heavy Indian asian accent. I tell then to stop calling me and they get mad and raise their voices and tell me that by midnight my computer will be beyond repair. I usually just hang up. Its been happening alot the last few weeks so now im fighting back. First I act very nieve and just say minimal stuff, they have said to go to my computer and start to press keys, they want my email address, pass words. Of course I tell them bogus stuff, waist their time, then I just set the phone down and walk away. Their dime and time is being waisted. I get a little gratification. It is so annoying.
Be smart people and dont believe these scammers. Just hang up.
Me to ,alot of scammers going on ,just hang up,
I have told my customers that you give NO information to someone who called you. If you call a reputable company to order a product, of course you will need to give them your information. If someone calls you claiming to be anything from a bank representative to a computer specialist to someone from Social Security, give them NOTHING! Reputable companies will not ask for your passwords or personal information.
And the scam about a family member in jail or in the hospital has been around for a while. Always call another family member to verify the situation. Most of the time it will turn out to be a scam. DO NOT give out any information! DO NOT send any money via Western Union!
Be alert and a bit paranoid about these types of situations.