In response to several reports from citizens throughout the county, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office wants to warn our residents of two scams recently being used in our area to target people for money. One is the “Nigerian Advance Fee” scam and the other is a new scam centered on the “Do Not Call Registry” Commonly known to law enforcement as the “Nigerian Scam”, this swindle continues to draw many victims and starts with an unsolicited letter that is usually mailed, faxed, or emailed to a targeted person or business which claims to have originated from someone who works for the Nigerian government.
In the letter, the scam artist informs the recipient that he is seeking a trustworthy company or individual whose account he can deposit funds ranging from $1 million up to $60 million which the Nigerian government has overpaid on some contract.
The scam artist’s goal is to deceive the victim into thinking that he or she has been singled out to participate in a very lucrative arrangement. The intended victim is usually reassured of the authenticity of this scam by false letters of credit or bank drafts and by the use of forged documents bearing an official Nigerian government letterhead or seal. Once the victim’s confidence is gained as to the potential success of the deal, something always goes wrong. The victim is then pressured to provide a large sum of money in order to save the venture. For example, the swindler will request an unforeseen tax or fee to be paid to the Nigerian government before the money can be transferred into the victim’s account. Each fee paid by the victim is described as the very last fee required and often continues for several months.
The second scam focuses on the “Do Not Call Registry” that we are hearing and seeing so much about in the news. Currently, the “Do Not Call Registry” is in legislation and if ruled in favor of the public, the registry will be a list of telephone numbers that many telemarketers will not be allowed to call. There is no charge for this service.
This scam begins with a telephone call or an email soliciting the targeted victim to pay money to pre-register, check their status, or be placed on the “Do Not Call Registry.” Do not pay money or give any personal information to people who say they will get your name on the registry. Only you can sign up with for the registry with your telephone number or by Internet. If anyone asks for your name, telephone number, bank account number or money, it is probably a scam. If possible, write down the caller’s name, organization and telephone number and report this information to your local police or the Mason County Sheriff’s Office.
809 Phone Scam
Although one of the older swindles, the “809” scam is once again gaining momentum in many areas of the United States and is being used to take tens of thousands of dollars from unwary victims each year. With recent reports, Mason County Sheriff Wayne Youell warns residents about the dynamics of this con.
The “809” scam will begin by a message left on your answering machine, email or on your pager for you to immediately telephone or fax information regarding a family illness, death, arrest, or about a prize you may have been said to have won. The number you will be requested to call will have an “809” area code. Do not call.
The “809” area code is actually an international call to the Caribbean and is considered to be somewhat like the United State’s 900 pay per call telephone numbers. “The difference is that there are no regulations in place which require that you be informed of the charges,” said Youell. “The objective of the swindler is to keep you on the telephone for as long as possible. The charges for these telephone calls have been reported to be as high as $40.00 a minute.”
Do not become a victim of this scam. Since you actually made the telephone call, it will prove to be nearly impossible to argue the charges afterwards. Sheriff Youell is asking residents to spread the word about this scam to prevent others from becoming victims. As always, if you feel you have been or are being scammed, please alert your local police or the Mason County Sheriff’s Office.
Canadian Lotto Scam
Mason County Sheriff Wayne Youell wants to warn the citizens of Mason County of the Canadian Lottery scam. It has been recently reported that some Mason County residents have been targeted as victims regarding this scam. The scam generally occurs in the following manner:
A resident will be telephoned and told that they have been entered into the Canadian Lottery without cost.
A few weeks later, the resident is telephoned again, congratulated and told that they are the winner of a huge prize. Often the proclaimed winning is said to be around $350,000.00. The caller then states that before the prize money can be delivered, taxes and transportation expenses will need to be paid. At this time, several thousand dollars are requested for the taxes/expenses and the victim is told that it is very important for them to wire this money as soon as possible via Western Union transfer. Usually a promise of next day delivery of the winnings is made upon receipt of the expense money. Unfortunately the victim sends the expense money but the prize does not exist.
After receiving the expense money, the fraudster commonly will telephone the victim back several times to explain of new reasons why more money needs to be sent. Sometimes the fraudster claims to be the police trying to track down the swindler.
Those targeted in this scam are often chosen because they have fallen victim to past deceptions or because they have entered postal competitions. Their names are circulated among criminal gangs on what are known as “sucker lists”. Those who are conned are usually too embarrassed to report the crime.
The Mason County Sheriff’s Office strongly encourages anyone who believes they have been victim of this scam to report it to either the Mason County Sheriff’s Office at 309-543-2231 or their local police department.
If you think you are being targeted in this or similar scams, the best thing to do is to hang-up the telephone. If you have caller I.D., write the telephone number down and report it to the authorities.
DCFS Scam
For a second time during the past three months, a person, who falsely represented herself to be an investigator with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, approached a Mason County family and conducted a house inspection.
According to the latest report, while the female was in the Manito Township residence, she asked for everyone’s personal information and also requested a urine sample from one of the adults before leaving. “We’re not quite sure what to think of this but it has all the making for identity theft,” said Sheriff Wayne Youell. “We want to bring awareness to our residents to prevent encounters like this in the future.”
The suspect was described as a woman in her late 20’s with auburn hair. She said her name was Valerie. A stocky male with brown hair and a goatee accompanied the woman and identified himself as Eric Simms.
Sheriff Youell states that if people, who are claiming to be an official with any agency, approach you; it is always appropriate and a good idea to ask for their identification.
Anyone with information about this matter is encouraged to telephone the Mason County Sheriff’s Office at 309-543-2231.
Il Sheriff's Assoc Scam
Sheriff Wayne Youell of is advising county residents that there is currently underway a phone campaign fraudulently using the name of the Illinois Sheriffs' Association in their solicitation. The Illinois Sheriffs' Association never solicits by phone but does conduct a direct mail campaign throughout the state of Illinois endorsed by the Sheriff.
Telemarketing fraud costs billions of dollars each year. Phone solicitors who want you to "act immediately" or are offering a "too good to be true" opportunity are most likely fraudulent. Remember that if you have any doubts, or are highly pressured - Just Hang Up.
You have the right to ask for the following information:
1) The name, address and phone number of the organization for which they are soliciting.
2) The name, address and phone number of the telemarketing firm.
3) The percentage of every dollar paid to the telemarketing firm.
4) Insist on something in writing prior to making a pledge or commitment.
If you cannot get the answers to these questions do not hesitate to hang up the phone. After all, it is your money.
Although, there are some legitimate organizations that use telemarketers for their fundraising efforts the Sheriffs of Illinois, through the Illinois Sheriffs' Association, are adamantly opposed to police groups and associations using telemarketers in their fundraising efforts. Again, the Illinois Sheriffs' Association never solicits by phone. Should you receive a call from someone saying they represent your local sheriff or the Illinois Sheriffs' Association and are asking for donations contact the Sheriffs Department at (309) 543-2231.
...More Scams
With two incidents recently reported in Mason County, Mason County Sheriff Wayne Youell is alerting citizens of new scams that are occurring in our area.
The first scam starts when a targeted person is congratulated either by mail or telephone that they are the winner of a sweepstakes prize generally comprising of millions of dollars. The target is notified that in order to receive their winnings, a payment is necessary to satisfy the taxes and/or shipping charges. The payment requested is usually around $2000 to $5000 and the swindler asks that the money be wired to a predetermined location as soon as possible to take care of the costs and expedite the delivery of the sweepstake winnings.
“Scams like this normally stop at this point and the swindler would wait to see if the intended victim sends the money. Today, there is a new twist,” said Sheriff Youell. Now the scam artist informs the targeted victim that they will be mailing them a cashier’s check to cover the tax payment/shipping expenses and instructs the person to cash it and immediately wire the money to a predetermined location. Although the check that is sent appears to be real, it actually is counterfeit. “With the latest software programs on the market and photo quality printers being used, crooks are taking advantage of this technology to produce authentic looking checks that are being used for fraud,” said Sheriff Youell. “The checks are often cashed at the local banking institutions and as directed, victims are unknowingly wiring the money to the con artist with hopes of receiving their sweepstakes money in return. Several days later, it is learned that the check is phony.”
In a similar scam, the swindler will respond to a classified advertisement to buy merchandise that is offered for sale. The scam artist will agree to purchase the merchandise from a chosen victim and send a bogus cashier’s check that significantly exceeds the price for the merchandise. The targeted person is instructed to cash the check, keep the portion of the money that would satisfy the cost for the merchandise and wire the remaining amount to a predetermined address.
Sometimes the swindler will wait until they know that the merchandise has already been sold before they get involved. There have been instances that the scam artist mails an authentic looking counterfeit check to the targeted person after they have learned that the merchandise has been sold. Either by telephone or email, the crook informs the intended victim that a payment was already mailed and asks the victim to go ahead and cash the check. The offender tells the victim to keep a nominal portion of the proceeds of the check for their trouble and wire the remaining amount to a predetermined address as soon as possible. Days after the check is cashed, it is determined to be fake.
“In Mason County, we have already seen counterfeit checks for $3000 and $11,000,” said Sheriff Youell. “By the check’s face, it is almost impossible to tell that they are fraudulent. Keep your guard up and always remember, the saying that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” Anyone who believes that they are being targeted in a scam is encouraged to telephone your local police or the Mason County Sheriff’s Office.
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