The NPD has an important message for you! Scam Alert.
Lottery Scams
Like other "too good to be true" scams, lottery scams offer the victim great wealth in exchange for paying taxes and other processing fees up-front. In lottery scams, scammers generally send an e-mail, fax, or letter or a phone call to potential victims announcing that they have won a foreign lottery. The "winner" need only provide personal bank account information and pay a few fees up-front to collect his or her substantial winnings.
Unfortunately this occurred in Newark recently. The victim received several phone calls alleging she had won a lottery in another country. The victim unwittingly wired a significant amount of money over several transactions to cover "fees" during the scam.
What to Watch Out For
• If you did not purchase a lottery ticket in this foreign country, it is highly unlikely you can win a prize.
• No legitimate lottery requests advance fees.
• Characteristically, written notices contain spelling and grammatical mistakes or awkward wording.
• The primary methods of distribution for this scam are through the Internet, mail, or by fax. Legitimate government-run lotteries normally choose television, radio, or newspapers to advertise.
• Many of the prize letters state the deadline to claim the prize will soon expire.
• The written notice may come from a free e-mail account like Yahoo, Hotmail, or Gmail.
• You may be told to keep your winnings confidential for “security reasons.”
How to Protect Yourself and Your Assets
• Do not send any money! Participation in a foreign lottery through the mail or over the phone violates U.S. federal law. Furthermore, it will be essentially impossible to recover any money you send to a fraudulent operation.
• Do not give out personal information! Keep all bank and credit card information to yourself. Sharing this information can make you vulnerable to fraudulent use of your accounts or identity theft.
• Do not respond! Simply corresponding with the operators of a scam increases your chances of receiving similar offers.
Suspicious Circumstance ~ Attempt to steal vehicle?
Another incident occurred over the weekend that was suspicious and possibly an attempt to steal a car using deception. The Police Department was made aware of this incident, but the potential victim did not make an official report. However; it is worth making the public aware of the incident. A man contacted an elderly woman in the parking lot of the Newark Marketplace located at 5877 Jarvis Ave. The man struck up a conversation with the woman as she sat in her vehicle preparing to back out of a parking stall. The woman believed the man was attempting to lure her from the her vehicle by telling her to get out of her car as there was something under her vehicle that need to be moved. The woman drove off fearing the possibility of the man attempting to steal her auto.
Address/Location
Newark Police Department CA
37101 Newark Blvd
Newark, CA 94560
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 510-578-4237