Dedham Police Warning Residents of Scams in Town

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The Dedham Police Department on Wednesday announced that it has been receiving reports from residents who have been contacted by a scammer trying to deceive them.

The following was included in the Dedham Police Department’s statement on Wednesday:

“Scams come in many different forms and are ever evolving. People that present a scam are typically charismatic and persistent. They are salespeople trying to gain the confidence of their target. When they do, they take advantage of the situation and fool their target into sending money or communicating personal identifying information such as a social security number or a bank account number. Once funds are sent, the money is gone and it is very unlikely that it can be recovered. Personal identifying information can be used to access your personal accounts and transfer funds out or accumulate financial obligations under your name. Senior citizens are often targeted by scammers due to their trusting nature. We need to protect this vulnerable demographic.”

Scams, Dedham police added, can be presented in person, on the phone, through the mail and by email. Residents are encouraged to speak with elderly neighbors or relatives and be sure that they understand what to watch out for.

Police offered the following warning signs to watch out for when in the presence of a possible scammer:

• A caller requests or demands payment for a prize, a bill or for any other reason be paid by Western Union or Green Dot cards. This is not the way legitimate businesses conduct business. This is the equivalent of sending cash; sending cash is never advisable. Once these payments are sent, they are not traceable.

• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

• A bank, credit card company or anyone else that conducts business with calls and asks for personal identifying information. Legitimate businesses do not do this.

• Someone approaches you at your home and attempts to distract you.

Police also offered the following as possible forms of scams:

• Calls from a scammer claiming to represent the IRS indicating that you owe taxes and that you must send money now to pay the taxes or you will be arrested.

• Calls from a scammer claiming to represent a utility company claiming that you owe money and if you don’t send money now your utilities will be shut off.

• Calls from someone claiming to be a relative who has either been in an accident or arrested in another city or country and needs money sent now in order to obtain medical treatment or be released from jail. Scammers can often obtain information about family members through the internet. Don’t be fooled by a caller who presents some knowledge about family members (i.e., names, addresses, etc.)

• Online purchase scams when you sell something online and receive a check for more than the selling price. The scammer asks you to return the overpayment amount to them. The overpayment check is fraudulent. By the time you figure this out, you have sent the overpayment to the scammer and your money is gone.

• Lottery scams where you have won a prize either in the form of money or merchandise. In order to collect the prize, you need to pay the taxes first.

• Utility scams where someone claiming to represent a utility company knocks on your door and tells the target victim that they need to see the meter in the basement. When the victim shows the scammer where the meter is, an accomplice enters your home and steals valuables.

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