Sheriff’s Office Returns Money to Online Scam Victims
/The Clay County Sheriff’s Office has returned more than $800,000 in cash that victims sent to scammers so far in 2021.
The Office is on pace to return more than $1 million to scam victims by the end of the year. Investigators work with shipping companies to intercept the money victims have sent to scam artists. On average, scam victims send between $5,000 and $10,000 cash. The largest single recovery deputies have made this year was $85,000 cash. (The victim in that case believed he was sending money to win millions in a lottery.)
The scams originate on social media like Facebook and Whatsapp and prey on the sense of compassion and loneliness experienced by many. Some of the most common ones the Sheriff’s Office has investigated so far in 2021 include:
Cloned Facebook Accounts
Scammers duplicate the accounts of someone victims are friends with on Facebook. Some pose as a relative who needs money for college, medical bills, or something else. Others used the cloned accounts to contact victims claiming they have grants available to the elderly or those who have been impacted by COVID. They ask victims to send money for processing and promise much more money will be sent back to them. These scams target elderly women.
Romance Military Scam
A scammer posing as a U.S. military general or commander contacts women online and tries to develop a “romantic” relationship with them. The scammer says he wants to come back to the United States to be with the victim, but he is stuck overseas with his money tied up in the United Nations and cannot get home. He asks for money to return home so they can be together. This scam also targets elderly women.
Romance Inheritance Scam
In a scam targeted mostly at middle-aged men, scammers pose as women interested in a romantic relationship. They build a relationship with victims online, and then the “girlfriend” claims that she has inherited money or gold. “She” tells the victim she needs money to hire a lawyer or tax adviser to get the inheritance, or even that she needs to hire someone to convert the inheritance into crypto-currency. Investigators have found victims often refuse to believe their relationship is with a scammer.
Scammers’ Tactics
The scammers use information gleaned from victims’ social media profiles to threaten and coerce them, such as threatening harm to the victim and providing the victim’s address or names of friends and family members. They also use this information to pose as relatives or acquaintances of victims.
Scammers give victims specific instructions about how to ship the money. Most of the cash the Sheriff’s Office has intercepted is destined for domestic addresses, although some have been international.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office urges those with older loved ones to educate them about scams and the need to protect their privacy on social media accounts. If you believe you or a loved one may be the victim of an online scam, contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov/.
KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story
