Community
Scam Alert - English
| Nature of Incident: | Scam Alert | ||||
| Location: | City of Moorpark | ||||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | Investigations Bureau, City Beat Coordinator | ||||
| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | |||
| Narrative: | |||||
| The Moorpark Police Department would like to alert the residents of Moorpark about several scams that have recently occurred in our city. Members of the community have been approached by subjects claiming to have valuables, including diamonds, winning lottery tickets and expensive jewelry to sell. The diamond scam goes like this: A suspect approaches the victim and asks the victim if they want to buy diamonds. Typically, a second, apparently unrelated suspect approaches and interjects him or herself into the conversation, offering to pay for part of the diamonds. The second suspect agrees to take the diamonds to get them appraised, and leaves with the diamonds. The second suspect returns a short time later and claims the diamonds are worth a significant dollar amount. The second suspect offers to pay for part of the diamonds and asks the victim to pay cash for part of the diamonds. The first suspect agrees to sell the diamonds for a much smaller amount than what the diamonds appraised for, making the victim think they got a great deal. Often, the two suspects offer to drive the victim to their bank or home in order for the victim to obtain cash for the sale. In reality, the stones are not diamonds and the victim paid a significant amount of cash for stones that have little or no value. What the victim does not know is that both suspects know each other and are working together to steal the victim’s money. The Lottery Scam works in a similar way. A suspect approaches the victim and claims to have a winning lottery ticket. The suspect claims to be in the country illegally, and is therefore unable to cash the ticket. The suspect asks the victim to cash in the winning lottery ticket for a cut of the winnings. The suspect asks the victim to provide “good faith” money prior to cashing in the lottery ticket, and offers to drive the victim to their home or bank to obtain cash. Once the suspect obtains cash from the victim, they make an excuse to separate themselves from the victim. Once this happens, the suspect drives away, leaving the victim with a worthless lottery ticket and out of a significant amount of cash. The Moorpark Police Department wants to remind residents not to fall for these or any other scams. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Never enter into any agreement with a perfect stranger, especially one where the stranger is asking for cash or valuables in exchange for some item. If someone does approach you and makes an offer, decline and attempt to obtain a description of the person’s vehicle. Never get into a car with a stranger. Finally, if you believe someone has tried to scam you, please call the Moorpark Police Department at (805) 532-2700. |
|||||
| Prepared by: | Senior Deputy Becky Purnell, Beat Coordinator | ||||
| News Release Date: | April 26, 2018 | ||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Amy Garcia (805) 532-2650 |
||||
| Approved by: | Captain John Reilly | ||||
Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511