Common Frauds

 
              
Common Phone Scams
Phony prizes, illegal sweepstakes or foreign lottery

They say "you have won a fantastic prize (or the lottery in a foreign country)! All you have to do is buy vitamins (or confirm your social security number or bank account number for them to deposit the winnings). "A prize is a prize and free is free. Foreign lotteries are illegal.
Fake Charities
They ask you to "donate to charity and win a spectacular vacation…" These increase after disasters and around the holidays. These "charities" only benefit the con artist. You can make sure any money you give gets into the right hands. When someone solicits for a donation.

Ask for identification on both the charity and the solicitor. Find out the charity's purposes, how funds are used and if contributions are tax deductible. If you're not satisfied with the answer and feel something is not quite right, don't give.

Give to charities you know.
Sham Investments

You are invited to "invest in a no-risk investment opportunity of a lifetime…but you need to do it today. I'll send a courier to pick up your money or you can wire it to me…" There is no such thing as "get rich quick".
Recovery Room Operation

You are assured they will "help you get back all the money you've been scammed out of…for a small fee." No law enforcement will ever charge you a fee to investigate your case or recover your money.
Real Estate Fraud

Never buy any property unseen!

Read contracts carefully for details of what is included with properties i.e. hookups for utilities.
Investment Fraud

This includes the recently popular pyramid schemes. Be suspicious of…

High pressure sales tactics.

Get rich quick schemes.

An emphasis on setting up dealerships rather than selling a product.

Potential investors are not encouraged or even allowed to contact other investors.
The Obituary Column Scheme

Sometimes scam artists read the obituaries and then send a surviving spouse or family member phony bills supposedly owed by the deceased. Or they deliver an item - like a Bible - that they say the deceased ordered. Tell them no thank you and you will talk it over with the police!
The Bank Examiner
The con-artist, posing as a police officer or bank investigator, draws the victim into a plan to catch a "dishonest teller" by having the victim withdraw cash and turn it over to the "official" so s/he can check the serial numbers.  Banks don't do this. Don't be fooled!

 

 

Produced by Community Advocates for Family & Youth.  The hosting of this website was made possible by the support by Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice.  Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U. S. Department of Justice.