Tag:

Online Scam

Armonk, NY
Police & Fire
Scammer Freezes iPad, Convinces Victim To Pay To Fix It In North Castle Scammer Freezes iPad, Convinces Victim To Pay To Fix It In North Castle
Scammer Freezes iPad, Convinces Victim To Pay To Fix It In North Castle Authorities in Northern Westchester are searching for a suspect who stole a large sum of money from a victim who was convinced to withdraw funds from their bank account by an online scammer.  The incident occurred in the town of North Castle on Thursday, Dec. 14, when an 81-year-old resident clicked on an online spam link while using their Apple iPad and suddenly found that their device was frozen, according to North Castle Police. Soon after, a phone number appeared on the screen, which the victim proceeded to call. The person who answered the phone managed to convince the victim that…

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by Ben Crnic
Newark, NJ
Police & Fire
Online NJ Romance Scammer Who Conned Woman Out Of $66,000 Gets More Than Two Years, No Parole Online NJ Romance Scammer Who Conned Woman Out Of $66,000 Gets More Than Two Years, No Parole
Online NJ Romance Scammer Who Conned Woman Out Of $66,000 Gets More Than Two Years, No Parole An Essex County man who helped swindle what he called a “filthy rich woman” out of nearly $66,000 in an online romance scam was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison. Mahmoud Bowler, 40, of Newark, and an unidentified co-conspirator whom he grew up with in Ghana double-teamed the Florida victim over the course of nearly three years after connecting with her on an online dating site using a bogus profile name. Bowler then turned around and screwed his partner, keeping the majority of the money that they'd collected from the victim, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Phillip R. Sellinger said. …

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by Jerry DeMarco
North Hunterdon, NJ
Police & Fire
Should've Said No: Hackettstown Taylor Swift Fan, 30, Loses Nearly $1.5K In Concert Ticket Scam Should've Said No: Hackettstown Taylor Swift Fan, 30, Loses Nearly $1.5K In Concert Ticket Scam
Should've Said No: Hackettstown Taylor Swift Fan, 30, Loses Nearly $1.5K In Concert Ticket Scam A 30-year-old Taylor Swift fan from Hackettstown thought her Wildest Dreams were coming true when someone in a Facebook group offered to sell her concert tickets in exchange for sending money via Zelle. But it ended with nothing but Bad Blood, according to police. The woman contacted someone she thought was a legitimate seller after seeing a post advertising the Taylor Swift tickets and was given a phone number to text. This led to a scammer, just plain Mean, providing an email address. The woman then sent a total of $1,480 to the scammer, who became Fearless when asking for even mor…

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by Valerie Musson
Fairfield, CT
News
Town Of Fairfield Police Issue Alert For Circulating Bitcoin Scam Town Of Fairfield Police Issue Alert For Circulating Bitcoin Scam
Town Of Fairfield Police Issue Alert For Circulating Bitcoin Scam Police in Fairfield County are warning residents against the latest scam, this one involving Bitcoin. Fairfield Police Chief Robert Kalamaras said they learned of the latest scam when a resident alerted the department on Tuesday, Nov. 22 that they had sent $7,000 in Bitcoin currency to an unknown account prior to realizing it was a scam. The resident told officers she had received a call from an unknown male claiming to work for the fraud department of an online retailer. He told her that fraud was detected on her account and informed her that she would have to transfer her money to a Bitco…

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by Kathy Reakes
Fair Lawn-Glen Rock, NJ
News
NJ Love Seeker Loses $450,000 To Scammer On Dating App For 'Rich And Attractive' NJ Love Seeker Loses $450,000 To Scammer On Dating App For 'Rich And Attractive'
NJ Love Seeker Loses $450,000 To Scammer On Dating App For 'Rich And Attractive' It's heartbreaking to learn that someone you've become enamored with online isn't into you, but it's downright tragic to discover that person just made off with $450,000 of your money. That's right: A con artist collected nearly a half-million dollars in crypto from a Glen Rock, NJ resident who fell for an online romance scam. You could call it missed fortune. The victim met the imposter on Luxy, a dating app for millionaires -- and those looking to meet them -- that boasts of collecting "the most attractive and financially stable of dating applicants." Or, as the founders of the Hon…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Fair Lawn-Glen Rock, NJ
News
LOOKIN' FOR LOVE: Police Detective Sniffs Out Online Scam That Victimized Glen Rock Man, Others LOOKIN' FOR LOVE: Police Detective Sniffs Out Online Scam That Victimized Glen Rock Man, Others
Lookin' FOR Love: Police Detective Sniffs Out Online Scam That Victimized Glen Rock Man, Others A Glen Rock detective was in for a surprise when he traced an online scam that victimized a local man to a woman in Washington State. It turns out that person got scammed herself. Before he was done, Glen Rock Police Detective Sgt. James Calaski found three other victims who got taken by a money launderer who lives in Africa, Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. All of them were apparently looking for love. The con man had developed a virtual relationship with the 65-year-old Washington State woman, convincing her that he was a contractor flipping houses in Texas, Ackermann said. He the…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Cherry Hill, NJ
News
Cyber-Casanova From NJ Admits Duping Dozens Of Lonely Hearts Out Of $1.14M Cyber-Casanova From NJ Admits Duping Dozens Of Lonely Hearts Out Of $1.14M
Cyber-Casanova From NJ Admits Duping Dozens Of Lonely Hearts Out Of $1.14M A New Jersey man admitted that he orchestrated an online scam that conned dozens of unsuspecting women on dating sites out of more than a million dollars – and led one of them to suicide. Rubbin Sarpong, 37, of Millville pocketed the money and bought property in Ghana, along with luxury cars, expensive jewelry, top-shelf booze, designer clothes and more, federal authorities said. Then he flaunted it on Instagram. Sarpong had catfishing accomplices, several of whom live in Ghana, Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Rachael Honig said. Posing as American military personnel stationed oversea…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Fort Lee, NJ
News
Wife Of Instagram Celeb Jailed In Plot To Kidnap, Terrorize NJ Man Who Trashed Him Online Wife Of Instagram Celeb Jailed In Plot To Kidnap, Terrorize NJ Man Who Trashed Him Online
Wife Of Instagram Celeb Jailed In Plot To Kidnap, Terrorize NJ Man Who Trashed Him Online The wife of Bergen County-based Instagram influencer "Jay Mazini” was in on a plot to kidnap, threaten and terrorize a Fort Lee man who’d posted negative comments about him on social media, authorities said Friday. Joumana Danoun, 21, of Paterson also then tried to get the victim to drop the charges, they said. Danoun joined her husband in the Bergen County Jail following her arrest Thursday. "Mazini" of Edgewater, whose real name is Jebara J. Igbara, 26, has been held in the county lockup since authorities arrested him on kidnapping charges in March. An FBI detainer prevents a local judg…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Cliffside Park-Edgewater, NJ
News
BUSTED: Scammer, 71, Cons Recent Widow Out Of $100,000, Edgewater Police Charge BUSTED: Scammer, 71, Cons Recent Widow Out Of $100,000, Edgewater Police Charge
Busted: Scammer, 71, Cons Recent Widow Out Of $100,000, Edgewater Police Charge Her husband had just died when a widow lost $100,000 to a 71-year-old con artist from Edgewater, authorities charged. Anna Bors was already known to police. She has a record of arrests involving bank fraud, check kiting and thefts in Edgewater and Fort Lee and is believed to be part of an online “sweepstakes” or “lottery” scam ring, Detective Sgt. Teddy Wetklow said. This time, Bors weaseled account information from a 75-year-old recent widow in North Carolina, Wetklow said Tuesday. Detective Jorge Vanegas diligently worked the case, obtaining bank records as well as surveillance footage…

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by Jerry DeMarco
North Hunterdon, NJ
News
Warren County Victim Loses Nearly $5K In Online Puppy Sale Scam, Police Say Warren County Victim Loses Nearly $5K In Online Puppy Sale Scam, Police Say
Warren County Victim Loses Nearly $5K In Online Puppy Sale Scam, Police Say An online puppy purchase went wrong for a Warren County resident who ended up losing nearly $5,000 in a scam, police said.  The victim saw an online ad for a Golden Retriever puppy and provided $300 as a deposit over Zelle after contacting the owner, Hackettstown Police said in a Wednesday press release. The victim was then given a tracking number for Blue Sky delivery service and told that the puppy was on its way, police said. However, the victim was later contacted by someone identifying themselves as David Freight who advised that the buyer needed to purchase a thermal electronic …

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by Valerie Musson
White Plains, NY
News
Alert Issued After Westchester Woman Scammed Attempting To Purchase Dog Online Alert Issued After Westchester Woman Scammed Attempting To Purchase Dog Online
Alert Issued After Westchester Woman Scammed Attempting To Purchase Dog Online A Westchester woman was bilked out of hundreds of dollars as she attempted to purchase a puppy through a fraudster’s sham website, police said. Investigators with the Scarsdale Police Department received a complaint from a village resident late last week who advised that weeks earlier, she began the process of purchasing a Cavapoo dog online. Police said that the woman had multiple conversations with the seller through text messages, emails, and phone calls, culminating with her sending $750 to the scammer’s “business partner” through Zelle, which was delivered on Monday, Jan 25. It is all…

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by Zak Failla