Auburn, NY -- Auburn residents are being bombarded by dozens of scams, many aimed at the elderly, authorities said. It's a trend repeated across all of Central New York, from Oswego to Syracuse. Last week, an elderly Auburn man was conned out of nearly $3,000 in an e-mail scam, said Lt. Shawn Butler. Auburn Police have also collected about 100...
Auburn, NY -- Auburn residents are being bombarded by dozens of scams, many aimed at the elderly, authorities said.
It's a trend repeated across all of Central New York, from Oswego to Syracuse. Last week, an elderly Auburn man was conned out of nearly $3,000 in an e-mail scam, said Lt. Shawn Butler.
Auburn Police have also collected about 100 scam letters turned in by residents in the past year and a half, Butler said. In these letters, residents are sent a fake check with the promise of more money if the recipient wires cash to the sender. The check bounces and the victim is scammed out of the wired money.
More recently, police have received about a half-dozen complaints of scammers contacting residents while pretending to be distressed relatives in need of quick cash, Butler said.
Protect yourself: Tips from federal authorities on preventing Internet crime
In the case of the elderly man scammed out of $3,000, the scam artist e-mailed him under the guise of a friend stranded overseas, Butler said. The scammer explained he had been mugged and needed cash to get home.
When the victim wired him money, the scammer then wrote back he had missed his flight and needed more cash, Butler said.
In these types of scams, the crook will hack someone's e-mail account, and then send e-mails to all of that person's friends, hoping one of them will bite, Butler said.
Auburn Deputy Police Chief Thomas Murphy had his own brush with the scam artists about six months ago. Someone hacked the e-mail of Murphy's son, sending an e-mail to the deputy chief saying he needed money, Butler said.
Murphy called his son and confirmed it was a scam, Butler said.
"That's the most important thing you can do: call the person," Butler said.
In some cases, the scam artists contact potential victims by phone. In those cases, authorities warn not to agree to send money based on one phone call. Hang up and make sure the person is who they say they are.
In addition, never trust checks sent by strangers, even if they appear legitimate. Even fake checks will be accepted by the bank until they are deemed invalid, which could take a week or more. The money might even appear in the victim's bank balance, but isn't really there until the check clears. Meanwhile, any money sent to the scam artist is gone forever.
It never hurts to double-check, authorities said. But once money is sent via Western Union, it is gone and can't be traced.
For more information on Internet scams, check the Internet Crime Complaint Center website.