The Chandler Police Department would like to remind the public to remain vigilant in protecting their identities and to not fall victim of the many well-orchestrated scams prevalent these days. Many of the scams can be very convincing.
A current and prevalent scheme involves a suspect convincing a victim they won a random sweepstakes or are receiving an inheritance from a relative they never knew existed. In order to claim the money, the victim is asked to send a “fee” or “taxes” before the money can be claimed. Usually these schemes involve someone calling the victim and on some occasions impersonating public officials or financial institutions to instill confidence and convince a person to send the money.
The suspect(s) will continue to convince the victim to send small amounts of money which adds up over time. The unsuspecting victim will continue to send cash believing they are about to get a great deal of money. These schemes usually start with a phone call or a very official looking letter addressed to the person or will arrive in an e-mail. The Chandler Police Department recommends the following tips to prevent becoming a victim of fraud.
- Shred old documents that contain personal information and secure current documents
- Deposit outgoing mail in secure mailboxes.
- Do not give out your social security number unless absolutely necessary.
- Make sure your computer’s firewall and anti-virus is current.
- Do not open emails from an unknown source.
- You will not win a sweepstakes you do not enter.
- And most important, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!