Shownotes Transcript
We appreciate it when fraud and scam victims are brave enough to share their stories in order to warn others. In this episode, Doris (our victim), received a phone call from a woman who identified herself as Holly, a Cox Cable technician. She knew that Doris had been having conectivity problems and asked Doris if it was any better. (There had been repair trucks on Doris' street, which probably tipped off the scammers.) Holly offered to check Doris' computer and showed her a series of graphs and diagrams which confirmed a weak signal. She told Doris that she was due a refund and transferred the call to a man who told Doris she was due $500. He pulled up a form on Doris’ computer and had her type in the amount. Doris is sure she typed in $500 but it appeared as $5,000. The man told Doris she’d have to send back $4,500 immediately! Then, in an alarming move, the man showed her that he had accessed her bank account and threatened to wipe it out if she didn’t immediately buy $4,500 in gift cards from Target and relay the gift card numbers to him.
Doris realized that she was being scammed but was frightened that the con artist would wipe out her account if she didn’t follow his directions to the letter. She bought the gift cards, took pictures of them with the receipts and sent them to the crook. “Now we’ll give you your money back but it will take an hour or so,” he told her.
Doris immediately drove to her bank. At first they told her that $1,500 had already been cashed but later, Target told her they would pay her back the entire $4,500. While the story has a good ending because Doris didn’t lose her money, it can’t be underestimated how traumatized Doris was by the experience. Plus, she said she had to change her bank account, passwords, and have her computer checked out by an expert.
Deputy District Attorney, Vicki Johnson, revealed the results of a study that highlights the emotional and physical problems toll that victims experience in the aftermath of being scammed. They often blame themselves, feel ashamed and suffer from physical problems. Vicki reminded Doris and our listeners that victims are not to blame…it’s the fault of the perpetrator.
At the end of the episode, Vicki shares some Good News. Believe it or not, a brazen crooked business called “I Spoof” was offering spoofing services to cyber criminals and advertising their services online! (As a reminder, spoofing is when you get a phone call and the caller ID is spoofed. For example, caller ID may say it’s your bank when it’s really a scammer.) As the result of a coordinated international law enforcement effort, the site was shut down and the site’s owner was arrested.
If you’d like to get advice from Deputy District Attorney Vicki Johnson, or share your story to warn others, call the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Fraud Hotline at 805-568-2442.