Monday 6 March 2017

Warning about Scammers












Monday's post is information from the police about scammers. I have this advice to offer:

If a friend endorses someone on Facebook, double check with them outside of Facebook by speaking to them in person to find how they know the person in question. 

Be on guard. Be especially cautious with people you only know through online messages and phone calls. If possible, try Skype or video chat. Many scammers use fake photos to lure their victims but video messaging is much harder to fake.

Be cautious if someone claims to be local but happens to be out of the country.

Be your own detective. Use search engines to research the person’s name and background. Look up their phone number to see if it’s listed in the region they claim to be from.

Don’t send anyone money.     

Please read and also see this link - it is a video by Jersey police.

https://www.facebook.com/StatesofJerseyPolice/videos/1192839277501168

Police Advice

NEVER give out your personal passwords or information even to your friends and family, personal information is for you only.

Things they may ask for:

• Friendship/relationship getting you to trust them and then they take your details.

• Passwords.

• Bank details.

• Personal information about you or your family.

• They may say they are in trouble and need money quickly NEVER send it.

If someone you don’t know asks you strange questions about your money, account, life, family or asking you to do things that you feel uncomfortable with, please contact the Police, they will be able to help.



Islanders are being warned about a Facebook scam after a resident lost a large amount of money after accepting a friend request from a stranger.

A fraudster contacted the islander on the social media site claiming to have purchased them a winning lottery ticket.

They then hacked into a Facebook account belonging to a friend of the victim, posing as the friend to verify that the deal was real.

Crime Prevention Officers PC Chris Ingham says the scammer said they needed money put into a bank account to cover tax and postal charges:

”They’re asking for money to cover the cost of sending the money and that Customs had got involved and they needed more money.

”The scammer will keep making excuses as to why they need more money.

"The victim is devastated. Their confidence has really been hit by this.”

He says people should not speak to anyone they don’t know on Facebook:

”If you get any requests from anyone that you don’t know, then we recommend that you just delete it.

”If you get a second party that you do know telling you that the other person is alright, then you should consider carefully before adding them.


”When it comes to the lottery and anyone telling you that you’ve won money that you haven’t bought a ticket for, then if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.”

http://www.bailiwickexpress.com/jsy/news/islander-loses-large-amount-money-facebook-scam/#.WLtQsW-LTow

Jersey Police are warning Islanders about a Facebook lottery scam.

The move follows an incident in which a victim reported losing a ‘large amount of money’.

It’s believed the scammer contacted the victim through a Facebook friend request which seemed to be endorsed by an existing friend.

The Police say what the victim didn’t realise was the existing friend's Facebook account had been hacked and it was the scammer who was recommending himself to the victim.

The scammer then told the victim they’d won a big lottery prize, and asked them to send some money to cover the tax. They then asked for more money to cover shipping costs and so on.

Crime Reduction Officer PC Chris Ingham said: “we would like to remind the public to be very cautious with any friend request you receive on Facebook and as a general rule you should delete any friend request from anyone you don’t personally know. Please also bear in mind that if an offer looks too good to be true, then it probably is. If you are concerned at any time you can call the force on 612612.”

http://www.itv.com/news/channel/2017-02-22/jersey-police-warning-after-islander-scammed-out-of-large-amount-of-money/

Police are urging people to delete friend requests from strangers

A Jersey resident has been scammed out of 'a large amount of money,' prompting a warning from police.

It is understood that the scammer made initial contact with the victim through a friend request on Facebook, which appeared to be endorsed by an existing friend of the victim.

The victim had been unaware that the existing friend's Facebook account had been hacked, and it was in fact the scammer who was recommending themself.

Once the friendship on Facebook had been established, the scammer told the victim that he had bought some lottery tickets for them and as a result of that, the victim had won a large amount of money. The scammer then asked for an amount of money to be sent to him to cover the tax. This would then be followed by another request for money to cover shipping charges and so on.

The requests for money would continue, with a different reason given each time.

We would like to remind the public to be very cautious with any friend request you receive on Facebook and, as a general rule, you should delete any friend request from anyone you don’t personally know. Please also bear in mind that if an offer looks to be good to be true then it probably is. If you are concerned at any time please call us on 612612.

– CRIME REDUCTION OFFICER, PC CHRIS INGHAM

JERSEY POLICE contact details:

Mr Chris Ingham
07797 – 865683
c.ingham@jersey.pnn.police.uk

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