$95K Scam Stopped By Barnegat Police

BARNEGAT, NJ — Barnegat police foiled a scam that almost lost a resident $95,000, the police department said in a news release.

A resident told police on Nov. 2 that he thought he had been scammed out of $95,000. He said that while using his computer on Oct. 30, a pop-up appeared claiming the device was infected with malware and urged him to call a phone number.

He called that number, which led to the answering scammer gaining remote access to his computer, police said. The person who answered his call convinced the resident that money had been mistakenly deposited into his bank account, according to police.

The scammer told the resident to purchase a cashier's check and send it through UPS to an address in Queens, police said.

The resident didn't realize it was a scam until Nov. 2, when he contacted police. Officers worked with a U.S. Postal Inspector and UPS area security manager, who worked afterhours to assist, police said.

Within a few hours on Sunday evening, they located the check at a UPS facility in Queens, police said. It was recovered and returned to the resident, "preventing a major financial loss," police said.

Barnegat police took the opportunity to remind the public to be wary of potential scams.

"We remind everyone not to send large sums of money to anyone you don’t know or fully trust," police said. "Never pay bills or debts through bitcoin or gift cards. If something feels suspicious or you think you’re being scammed, talk to a family member or call the Barnegat Police Department."