Local authorities have reported numerous accounts of scammers calling local residents and using scare tactics to pressure victims into sending them large sums of money.
Devine PD confirmed that a resident had lost around $14,000 in a scam the day prior to another local family contacting us.
“These scammers use fear tactics to pressure victims into acting quickly,” Devine PD Lieutenant Chris Andrews said. “Do not fall for these scams. Remember no law enforcement agency will ask for digital currency, ever.”
Under the guise of trying to help victims, or threats, phone scammers have stolen in excess of $10 million last year alone according to the Federal Trade Commission.
The family of another local resident recently called to share a similar story in hopes of helping others. In this case, a family member was told she may be arrested if she didn’t transfer $18,000 to bitcoins through a local ATM.
“First they left her a voicemail claiming that someone made an unauthorized purchase, and it stated to push 1 for help. When she did that the scammer answered and told her to go to her bank and take out $18,000. When she went to the bank, the guy told her not to hang up but to put her phone in her pocket. Then she went to a local convenience store in Devine where she started to put the cash into a Bitcoin machine. Thankfully, the cashier at the store saw her and told her not to do it. He said a man had done this the day before and it was a scam.”
Another Devine resident recently had her Ipad frozen by scammers with a message that “your device has been hacked” and it listed a phone number to call for help. When she called for help….Continue reading at www.devinenewsmembers.com
