Full Notification

-On August 24, 2010, an Upper Macungie Township resident contacted police and stated that he had received a telephone call from 876-290-7651. The caller advised the resident that because the resident shopped at Wal-Mart, he had won a Mercedes-Benz. The car was to be delivered the following day, however, he would need to pay a $250 delivery fee. When the investigating officer called the number, he reached a male with a Jamaican accent who cursed at the officer and hung up.
Calls from 876 numbers are typically associated with fraudulent activities from Kingston, Jamaica. Be wary of anyone who contacts you via the phone and states you have won anything, especially if the “win” involves you paying something to get your prize. From my experience as a law enforcement agent, many of the victims of these scams have reported that the callers have had thick accents. Of course, every case is different, but the end goal is always the same: scam you and take your money.

-Recently, a family member told me that she was going to be getting two English Bulldog puppies for free. She advised that she had seen an advertisement in a local gazette from a man who advised that he had two English Bulldog puppies that he needed to give away because he was a missionary who had left for Africa (the ad advised he had taken the dogs with him). The author of the ad stated he was willing to give the dogs up to someone who was willing to split the cost of the shipping. The family member corresponded with the seller through email, and even received pictures of the dogs from the author. Throughout the correspondence, the family member stated she was slightly taken aback by how poor the author’s penmanship was. She also stated that the author was looking for a money order for the cost of shipping the dogs overseas. I hate to say it, but had she not had the opportunity to speak with me about it first, she may have actually sent the money order.
Remember, scams aren’t limited to the internet. If it seems too good to be true, IT IS. My brief research shows that there are various forms of this scam, most involving various breeds of dogs. The money order and poor penmanship were clear warnings that this was not an American citizen doing the writing (at least if it was, it certainly wasn’t a very intelligent one). Again, another foreign scam targeting you and your bank account.

-One last note…did you get the email forward about Mars making it’s “once in a lifetime” close approach to the Earth that was supposed to occur last night? Of course, it never happened, but that had nothing to do with science. This was just another great example of fake forwards that are circulated everyday by people who, for whatever reason, do not do any research on what they are sending to others. Remember, when you send fake forwards, your name is attached to it…and that means your name stays with it as others continue to pass it on and on and on….Please, do yourself and the rest of us a favor- Research before pressing that forward button!

As always, be safe…

Investigator Peter Nickischer
BLRPD