Recently, there has been a rise in reports nationwide regarding telephone scams. The Menlo Park Police Department wants our community to be aware of these scams and not fall prey to criminals. If you have a computer or telephone, you may be at risk of becoming a victim. Your best defense is to know a scam when you see or hear one.
San Mateo County, Santa Clara County and Contra Costa County have reported an increase in telephone scams commonly referred to as a “jury duty scam”. A caller will identify themselves as a court officer or a police officer and inform intended victims that they have missed a jury duty summons and have failed to report for jury duty.
The caller will demand that the victim pay a fine over the phone, or risk being arrested. In most instances, the caller will ask the intended victim to purchase a MoneyGram, MoneyPak, or wire transfer money directly from your bank account. Please be aware that no government agency will accept payments through any of these forms of currency.
The caller may also attempt to “verify your identity” by asking the intended victim to provide their social security number, name, date of birth and other information that will make it possible for them to commit identity theft. The caller may also say that you will be arrested for non-payment of a bill or other reasons.
Other scams include the caller acting as if they are your relative or saying that your relative has been arrested. They tell you to send money in order to bail them out of jail for an incident that happened to them, in most commonly, another country. Do not fall victim to these calls. Call family members or friends to confirm their whereabouts and that everything is okay before sending any money or giving personal information.
If you think you may have been victimized by these types of scams or have received any phone calls that you think may be a scam, please contact the Menlo Park Police Department at (650) 330-6300. Remember to be suspicious and never give any personal information, such as your social security number, date of birth, home address or passwords to anyone over the phone!
Here is a link to the FBI website where you can read about other common scams. http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud. Being aware is the first step to crime prevention.
