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Alert Issued For New 'Meter Replacement' Scam In Fairfield County Alert Issued For New 'Meter Replacement' Scam In Fairfield County
Alert Issued For New 'Meter Replacement' Scam In Fairfield County Police in Fairfield County are cautioning area residents that scams targeting utility customers across the country and in Connecticut “are in full swing.” The Greenwich Police Department and Better Business Bureau Serving Connecticut announced they would be teaming up after scammers have targeted customers over the phone or by going door-to-door. “The scammers, often sounding legitimate and quite convincing, threaten to shut off electric service immediately unless instant payment is made,” Eversource Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Penni Conner said in a statement. “The…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Alert Issued For New 'Meter Replacement' Scam In Fairfield County Alert Issued For New 'Meter Replacement' Scam In Fairfield County
Alert Issued For New 'Meter Replacement' Scam In Fairfield County Police in Fairfield County are cautioning area residents that scams targeting utility customers across the country and in Connecticut “are in full swing.” The Greenwich Police Department and Better Business Bureau Serving Connecticut announced they would be teaming up after scammers have targeted customers over the phone or by going door-to-door. “The scammers, often sounding legitimate and quite convincing, threaten to shut off electric service immediately unless instant payment is made,” Eversource Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Penni Conner said in a statement. “The…

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by Zak Failla
News
Scam Alert: Beware Of Calls, Texts From Fake Uber Employees Scam Alert: Beware Of Calls, Texts From Fake Uber Employees
Scam Alert: Beware Of Calls, Texts From Fake Uber Employees There's a new Uber scam and police are warning area residents to be aware of it. Scam callers claiming to be Uber employees say they need to verify your account login credentials. If the victim doesn't immediately agree, the scammer will say there has been some suspicious activity on your account and "in order to continue driving, you will need to verify four out of five questions." While talking to the victim, the scammer will then send a text message that begins "Reply for verification." That is followed by subsequent texts asking for password and other info. Several victims …

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by Daily Voice
Police & Fire
Hackers Target Weston Students In Phishing Scheme Hackers Target Weston Students In Phishing Scheme
Hackers Target Weston Students In Phishing Scheme Hackers have targeted students at a Fairfield County High School in a recent phishing scheme that came to light. Several students have received questionable emails that stated their accounts had been hacked. In reality, the accounts were fine and the messages were phishing emails by opportunistic scammers. The scammers reportedly sought to obtain information for iTunes gift cards, or demanding money to ensure that the student doesn’t lose access to the account This week, Craig Tunks, the director of digital learning of technology, sent a message to parents warning them of the scam. “The…

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by Zak Failla
News
There's A New Spin On Gift-Card Scams, FTC Warns There's A New Spin On Gift-Card Scams, FTC Warns
There's A New Spin On Gift-Card Scams, FTC Warns The Federal Trade Commission is warning of a new spin on a well-known scam involving gift cards. You’ve probably heard the stories: a victim receives a call, email or even a text message requesting funds for a seemingly legitimate and worthy cause. The victim is asked to send gift cards or otherwise transfer money to the scammer, who then disappears without a trace. The FTC says scammers are now pretending to be religious officials - pastors, rabbis, priests or bishops - and are asking worshipers for gift card contributions. “Appeals are often made by email, but we’ve heard people are also…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Here's How Kids Can Make Sure Grandparents Don't Fall For This All-Too Familiar Scam Here's How Kids Can Make Sure Grandparents Don't Fall For This All-Too Familiar Scam
Here's How Kids Can Make Sure Grandparents Don't Fall For This All-Too Familiar Scam Police are educating children and young adults on the ways they can prevent their grandparents from becoming victims of phone scams. These types of scams typically begin when the victim receives a call, usually in the middle of the night. The caller often visits the social media profiles of the victims ahead of time so that they can make the call seem legitimate by providing names, phone numbers and other relevant details. The caller’s story will change with each victim - they got arrested, they got into an accident, etc. - but the request for money is what’s consistent. Victims are typical…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Alert Issued For Social Security Scams In Fairfield County Alert Issued For Social Security Scams In Fairfield County
Alert Issued For Social Security Scams In Fairfield County Police in Fairfield County are cautioning local residents to be wary of new social security phone scams that have recently been making the rounds in the area. The Easton Police Department issued an alert warning that opportunistic scammers have been utilizing new technologies to pose as federal officials claiming there are issues with a social security number or account. “From time to time you may receive a call from a number you don’t know. It may be a recording asking you to call a certain number, or from a real person telling you there is an issue with your social security number, or acc…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Don't Fall For Them: Alert Issued For These Scams Don't Fall For Them: Alert Issued For These Scams
Don't Fall For Them: Alert Issued For These Scams Residents in the area are being warned about scams that seem to be on the increase. The scams provide ways for criminals will attempt to get money from people by contacting them and making up elaborate stories, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office said in the warning to residents of Dutchess and nearby counties in New York and Connecticut. In some cases the perpetrators have tried, sometimes successfully, to use the victim’s emotions about a loved one in trouble to get money.  It’s common for the perpetrators of these scams to try to get money by telling people that one of their …

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by Daily Voice
Police & Fire
Scam Alert: 'Spoofing' Calls Being Made By Scammers Pretending To Be Cops, Municipal Officials Scam Alert: 'Spoofing' Calls Being Made By Scammers Pretending To Be Cops, Municipal Officials
Scam Alert: 'Spoofing' Calls Being Made By Scammers Pretending To Be Cops, Municipal Officials Police are alerting residents to a "spoofing" scam in which the callers pretend to be police officers or other municipal officers in an attempt to solicit money and sensitive personal information. On Friday, Jan. 25, a town resident reported receiving a suspicious phone call that appeared to originate from the Greenburgh Police Department, Chief Chris McNerney said on Saturday, Jan. 26.  The caller claimed to be a Greenburgh police officer and wanted to discuss the woman's credit report.  "Fortunately, the resident became suspicious and hung up the phone," McNerney said. "We…

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by Daily Voice
News
Increase In Fraudulent Phone Calls Reported In Area Increase In Fraudulent Phone Calls Reported In Area
Increase In Fraudulent Phone Calls Reported In Area Police in Fairfield County are warning residents of an increase in fraudulent phone calls from people claiming to be from the Social Security Administration.  The caller threatens legal action if the person answering the phone doesn't comply with their demands.  SSA employees will never threaten you for information; they will not state that you face potential arrest or other legal action if you fail to provide information. In those cases, the call is fraudulent, and you should just hang up. Officials with the agency said they have recent reports have indicated that the calle…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Don't Fall For It: This Social Security Number Scam Has Cost 35K Victims $10 Million, FTC Says Don't Fall For It: This Social Security Number Scam Has Cost 35K Victims $10 Million, FTC Says
Don't Fall For It: This Social Security Number Scam Has Cost 35K Victims $10 Million, FTC Says A consumer alert has been issued about a new phone scam that has already cost tens of thousands of victims millions. Imposters pretending to be from the Social Security Administration call victims and tell a fake story about their Social Security number being compromised in an attempt to obtain personal information, according to the Federal Trade Commission.  In 2018, the scam cost 35,000 victims $10 million. “To compare: in 2017, we heard from 3,200 people about SSA imposter scams, and those people reported losing nearly $210,000,” the FTC said in a statement. Th…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Scam Alert: Calls Tell Businesses, Consumers They're Behind On Bills Scam Alert: Calls Tell Businesses, Consumers They're Behind On Bills
Scam Alert: Calls Tell Businesses, Consumers They're Behind On Bills Opportunistic fraudsters have been making the rounds in Fairfield County, posing as utility workers threatening to turn the lights off at local businesses. The Shelton Police Department issued an alert, cautioning that local businesses have recently been targeted by scammers calling and pretending to be from United Illuminating. The businesses are told that they are behind on their electric bills and that the power will be shut off immediately unless a payment is made. “It’s an old swindle with some new twists,” officials from the utility company stated. “Caller ID may show the call is comi…

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by Zak Failla