Full Notification

On 9-8-14, the APD investigated a telephone fraud case in which the criminals apparently used information provided in an internet loan application to appear to be federal law enforcement.  They also were able to make it appear that local law enforcement was involved by “spoofing” a telephone number.      

The victim said that the caller first contacted her place of employment and had them relay a message to call to her.  When she called the number provided, the man she spoke to identified himself as a representative of the “U.S. Treasury Department.”  He had what was described as a Middle Eastern accent.  He accused her of providing false information on a loan application.  He threatened her with arrest for several crimes including “cybercrime” and “federal banking fraud”.  He told her that he would have an Amarillo police officer arrest her unless she purchased and provided him with the numbers from four Visa Power Pay cards totaling $2000.  At one point, he involved a third person in the call.  The victim’s caller identification showed the third party was calling from 378-9452, a number for the report taker’s desk at the Amarillo Police Department.   That person identified herself as an APD employee and also threatened to have the woman arrested.  The victim recognized the number as an APD number, and thought the caller was actually law enforcement. 

This is not the first time that this has happened in the Amarillo area.  Telephone scam artists can make your caller ID show any number they need to use.  Don’t trust callers that claim to be from law enforcement and threaten to arrest you if you do not pay over the phone immediately for any reason…fines, fraud, or not appearing for jury duty.  Remember that when you fill out on line loan applications, you may be providing criminals with all the information they need to convince you that they are the real thing.  Check out loan companies with the Better Business Bureau before you apply….and only trust information in calls that you initiate to telephone numbers that you have verified as genuine. 

The APD White Collar Crimes Unit would also like to make you aware that criminals are using information in television advertising in their scams.  In one local incident, a caller told a woman that she was eligible to receive part of a cash settlement resulting from a civil suit involving a defective medical device.  The settlement has been advertised on television, so the woman believed the caller.  The scammer asked for-and she sent him-$500 dollars via Green Dot money card information as a “fee” to receive her part of the settlement.  Her payoff was to be several thousand dollars.  The advertisements may be real, but this caller was not, and the woman lost her money.  Remember, any time someone asks you to pay money in order to get money, it is a scam.  If you win money-whether it is a civil suit or sweepstakes-you should not have to pay any fees to claim winnings.   

The APD Crime Prevention Unit is available to provide your club or organization with information to help you avoid scams and frauds.  Call the Crime Prevention Unit at 378-4257 to schedule a program.