Captain Brian Eckelson – Crossville, TN Police Department
Crime… Theft… Victim… Three words that often strike fear into the hearts and minds of everyday citizens. Also, three words that law enforcement officers face every day. If you, or somebody you know, find themselves on the wrong end of a crime or theft, they become victimized. It is hard to put the feeling behind you and to recover, both mentally and financially.
Crossville Police Headquarters
Capt. Brian Eckleson
In society, it is commonly believed that victims of crime are often put in fear of injury or death. Take a robbery scenario, for example. If someone walks up to you and forcefully takes your possessions or money, with the threat of physical violence, then you were put in danger. We, as a society, recognize these dangers and work hard to prevent the likelihood of becoming a victim. Stay only in well-lit areas after dark, never go past ABC Street by yourself, always keep your guard up when at an ATM, etc.
These “Safety Tactics” have become almost second nature to many people. However, this isn’t always the case. Often times, there is no physical danger of crime. Recently though, there is another danger that has surfaced. This danger can strike no matter who you are, where you are or who you are with. This danger is probably in your pocket right now… via your cell phone.
Cellular telephones are modern wonders of technology. Your cell phone probably has more computing power than NASA had on hand when mankind first landed on the moon! They can make phone calls and take pictures, but they can do so many other things. The whole digital world of the web is right at your fingertips. You can shop, buy and pay with a few light touches of your finger. You can text and email while barely moving a muscle.
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A very popular (if you want to call it that) method that the world-wide criminal element employs to steal from potential victims, is by scamming. They scam people by email, text, websites, and probably the most popular, by phone. In truth, there are probably more people victimized by scams than by all of the other crimes that we grew up with. Sure, people still break in and steal things, but every day there are hundreds of thousands of “robo-calls” and emails that go out to unsuspecting people, bringing scams, theft and new victims.
Many of these scams can bilk unsuspecting victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Sure, many only pay out a few hundred before they wise up to the scam and contact police. But many never do. When told that they are being scammed, some even argue with law enforcement that they are in a loving relationship with a foreign stranger, who just needs a few thousand more dollars to pay off their debts and come to the States!
Having been in law enforcement for over 27 years, I can promise you that we do not (read: EVER) call someone to tell them that they have a warrant and that we will be coming in a few minutes to arrest them. It just wouldn’t work. Ask anyone who has been arrested if they were warned by the police that they were coming to get them. Or, pick up a phone and call the IRS and ask them if you can pay your tax bill with a gift-type card or any similar type of payment. You will be told, after the laughing stops, “NO!”. But, every day, thousands of people become victims of these scams. For every victim, there were hundreds and maybe thousands of attempts made by scammers. It only takes a small percentage of these attempted scams to actually work, for scammers to net millions of dollars annually.
Small towns and large cities are equally susceptible to these types of crime. Victims are often left penniless, with absolutely no hope of recovering their losses. Law enforcement is simply not equipped to thoroughly investigate and prosecute these international crimes. There are jurisdictional issues, privacy issues and generally, a total lack of physical evidence to contend with. There are no fingerprints or DNA to collect, only a well masked digital footprint that often leads in circles, from country to country, to try and follow.
Law enforcement agencies, nationwide, have been fighting every day to help get the word out to their communities about these scams. Social media has been a valuable tool to reach many people, quickly. But, believe it or not, everyone isn’t on social media. (I know, I was surprised too!) Not everyone reads the newspaper, watches the news, listens to the radio or even talks to very many people throughout their day. However, we still need to inform as many people as possible.
The best plan to combat these scammers is to limit the likelihood that their scam attempt will find an unsuspecting victim. If law enforcement, can team up with the stores who sell the untraceable gift-type cards, banks, news outlets and the public in general, we might help educate each other on ways to combat this latest trend in crime. We all need to come together to spread the word about the methods scammers are using and have used to create more victims. Here are some ways that may help make a huge difference;
- If you are in a line of business, which could help law enforcement combat these crimes, contact your local law enforcement agency and set up training for you and your employees. (Specifically, points of sale for the scammers preferred payment types, financial institutions, pack & ship stores, etc.)
- If you are in a community with many residents, set up “Town Hall” types of meetings to spread the word and inform your population about scams and ways to avoid being scammed.
- If you have family members, who may be vulnerable to this type of victimization, talk with them about how to keep themselves safe. Tell them that they can run these types of expenditures by you before possibly making a very costly mistake.
- Remember that no legitimate agency, government especially, will accept gift cards or crypto-currency as payment for fines, bail, taxes or any other official payments.
- If you receive a call from a business, claiming to be legitimate but calling from a spoofed cellphone number, HANG UP. Never give your personal information and NEVER SEND THEM ANY MONEY!
- If you are suddenly the lucky recipient of a windfall of cash from a deceased, unknown relative, or from a lottery or contest, which you did not enter, never pay any money up-front for fees, transfers, shipping, attorney’s costs or any other reason. This is a scam!
- If you are ever in question about the legitimacy of any possible scam, get a call back number from the suspected scammer and contact your local law enforcement agency. A little prevention could indeed be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars in debt.
- Finally, we need to find a way to get money-wiring businesses on board to help protect the unsuspecting money sending population. Perhaps, simply ask if the buyer knows the person they are sending money to or if it is going to a complete stranger. A way to track the money would be helpful as well.
Fact: Scams and scammers are real. Fact: You do not have to be taken advantage of. Fact: Law enforcement agencies would much rather answer a hundred phone calls, inquiring about the possibility of a scam, than to answer one call reporting a victim that has lost their life savings, lost their home and are spending their “Golden Years” working to pay rent, because they were the victim of a scam.
Don’t let it happen to you, a loved one or a valued customer. Contact your local law enforcement today and ask for a class to help combat this epidemic. After all, that’s what we are here for.
For more information, you can also use the internet to help protect and educate yourself. Check out the Federal Trade Commission’s website: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/scam-alerts to learn more than you ever wanted to know about scam trends and even more ways to combat them.
Please, stay safe.
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