Cumming sheds light on common scams

A man who claimed to be from Paraguay called Longboat Key Police Chief Pete Cumming on his town cellphone Monday morning to notify him that he would send him a check for $800,000. All he would have to do is disclose personal information, including his name, address and email address.

The call was, of course, a scam. Unsolicited callers who tell you that you’ll receive reward money or prizes from lotteries or sweepstakes that require personal information or an upfront fee are just about always fraudulent. But the fact that the scammer called the police chief illustrates a common tactic.

“They’re just everywhere,” Cumming said. “The theory behind it is, 99% of the time it won’t work, but if something sticks, they’re going to make some money.”

Cumming recently spoke with the Longboat Observer about common scams that law enforcement agencies encounter not just on the Key but throughout the United States and even globally to remind residents to always be on alert.

His No. 1 tip to avoid becoming a victim:

“If something doesn’t look right, call the police,” he said.

In one new scam that’s on the rise, thieves place skimming devices at gas station card readers to steal credit and debit card information.

“I always tell people, it’s rare that any gas station employees are involved,” Cumming said. “Usually, it’s done by freelancers.”

Thieves are more likely to target pumps that aren’t visible from the cash register, so Cumming suggests using pumps directly in the sight line of the cashier when paying with a credit or debit card.

Another high-tech scam directs Internet users to an official-looking website that claims to represent the IRS, FBI, Interpol or another agency. It infects the computer with a virus that locks the computer and tells the users that they have illegal material, such as child pornography, on their hard drives and orders them to pay a fee to avoid prosecution.

To avoid becoming a victim, don’t open unfamiliar attachments or click on pop-ups, and make note of the addresses of the phony website to report the scam to the actual agency that the scammers claim to represent.

Traveling thieves often appear in Florida during the peak-season winter months and take a low-tech approach. Often, one individual asks to use a phone or for some form of assistance — or they intentionally distract the resident, sometimes by confusing him or her. While the resident is distracted, another thief enters the home, usually through a back entrance and steals cash, jewelry and other small valuables, within a matter of minutes.

Cumming suggests calling police if someone comes to the door seeking help — in which case, police can help the individual if he or she genuinely does need help.

One scam that Longboat Key police haven’t seen in two or three years is the “grandparent scam,” in which a caller claims to be the resident’s grandchild in need of money for an emergency and asks the victim to wire money.

If you’ve been a victim or attempted victim of a monetary scam, police suggest filing a report with the town and contacting the National Consumer League Fraud Center at fraud.org.

Cumming said the most important rule for spotting scams is to trust your gut.

“Throughout my career, I’ve found that most people, when they’re giving their report, they’ll say, ‘I just knew something didn’t feel right,’” he said.

Suspicious incidents
Longboat Key police frequently investigate incidents involving suspicious individuals and possible scams. Here are a few recent examples compiled from police reports.

Sept. 24
Lotto lure
5:40 p.m. — 2000 block of GMD. Harassing Phone Call. A caller told a woman she won a Publishers Clearing House drawing. The same man called again and told her she would win $5 million from the Florida lottery if she sent him $899. He hung up when she told him her next two phone calls would be to Publishers Clearing House and the police.

Nov. 27
Cyber scam
2:24 p.m. — 600 block of Old Compass Road. Fraud. Solicitors called a woman twice in two days. The first time, the caller disabled the woman’s computer. The second caller told her she had viruses on her computer and tried to sell her packages to fix the problem. She saw delete file warnings flash up on the screen and couldn’t turn her computer off. A Verizon representative told her the calls were probably scams.

Dec. 16
Phishing phone calls
1:51 p.m. — 500 block of Spinnaker Lane. Harassing Phone Call. A woman received four phone calls over five days from a person who claimed to represent American Express and asked her for personal information. She researched the phone number and learned it was linked to an identity theft scam.

Jan. 25
Traveling thieves
10:32 p.m. — 700 block of Longboat Club Road. Suspicious Circumstance. A “European-type gypsy” woman got on the elevator with three condo residents and followed them to their units. The woman pulled out a necklace with a peacock jewel on it and told them they were part of the peacock jewel game. She said she is trying to get to the next level of the game and that the man’s driving drew her to him. She called the man by name before leaving, which concerned him, because he did not give her his name.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected]