Over $520K Bilked From Westfield Residents, Police Warn Of Scams

WESTFIELD, NJ — In the first two months of 2022, Westfield Police reported that residents have defrauded of over $520K.

Police said the amount stolen from residents equates to $8,820 per day or $367 per hour and that people should be wary of scam phone calls.

While some scams are orchestrated unbeknownst to the victim, such as using personal information to open fraudulent credit cards and bank accounts, police said the majority of scams involve the victim revealing their own personal information.

Westfield Police provided a number of warning signs that indicate a person may be getting scammed:

• No legitimate company or government entity is going to request payment via prepaid credit cards or iTunes gift cards.
• No law enforcement agency is going to contact you via telephone to request payment in lieu of an arrest.

They also provided the following tips:

• Do not provide personal information to anyone over the telephone unless you have verified their legitimacy.
• Do not allow remote access to your computer unless you have verified the company. And if you do allow remote access, do not login to any financial accounts while in the remote session.

In a recent incident on Feb. 21, a scammer used the personal information of a resident on the 800 Block of Mountain Ave and opened a fraudulent credit card under his name, according to police. The card was used to purchase a $2,600 television.

Another fraud occurred on Feb. 22 when a resident of Tamques Way was contacted through an Offerup online market place and the scammer offered to buy the furniture which she advertised for sale. The scammer sent her digital checks totaling $3,150 as a payment for furniture and moving company costs.

Once the checks were received, the actor requested that the victim transfer $1,800 to the alleged moving company's bank account. The victim realized she was scammed when her bank informed her that the checks she deposited were rejected due to being fraudulent.

Lastly, a resident of the 200 block of Twin Oaks Terrace reported that scammers contacted him via email, identifying themselves as the "Geek Squad," which prompted the resident to call the phone number provided in the email and speak with an individual who pretended to be a president of a bank.

The scammer told the resident that the bank made an error and accidentally deposited $750K into his account. After obtaining personal information from the resident, the scammer gained remote access to his computer and made four unauthorized wire transfers, totaling $407K from the man's bank account.

For additional information about scam callers and fraudulent activity, visit one of these websites:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scam
https://www.consumerfinance.gov/coronavirus/avoiding-scams

Have a news tip? Email remy.samuels@patch.com.

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