Don't Fall For It: New Twist On Imposter Fraud Targets Your Money, Personal Info Don't Fall For It: New Twist On Imposter Fraud Targets Your Money, Personal Info
Don't Fall For It: New Twist On Imposter Fraud Targets Your Money, Personal Info The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is sounding the alarm on a sophisticated new imposter scheme designed to steal your money and personal information.  These scams are becoming increasingly convincing, but learning to spot the red flags can help you stay protected. How the Scam Works Initial Contact: Scammers pose as representatives from well-known companies, such as Amazon or a tech support service. They’ll claim there’s a routine issue, like suspicious charges on your account, a computer virus, or an account breach. Escalation: The scammers lie, saying your name is tied to serious …
NJ Man Posing As Walmart Worker Scams NY Woman, 69, Out Of $20K: Police NJ Man Posing As Walmart Worker Scams NY Woman, 69, Out Of $20K: Police
NJ Man Posing As Walmart Worker Scams NY Woman, 69, Out Of $20K: Police A phone call claiming to protect a Long Island resident's savings ended in a $20,000 scam carried out by a 51-year-old New Jersey man, according to authorities. The victim, a 69-year-old New Hyde Park woman, received the call from Tejas Kapur, of Carteret, who falsely identified himself as a Walmart employee, according to Nassau County Police. Kapur told the victim that there was fraudulent activity on her account and that her Social Security number was compromised, authorities said. Kapur then instructed the victim to move her money out of her bank account to protect it. On Monday,…
SCAM ALERT: Glen Rock Homeowner Loses $27,400 As Home Repair Con Men Prep For Spring SCAM ALERT: Glen Rock Homeowner Loses $27,400 As Home Repair Con Men Prep For Spring
Scam ALERT: Glen Rock Homeowner Loses $27,400 As Home Repair Con Men Prep For Spring A roof repair scam cost a Glen Rock resident $27,400, prompting the borough police chief to warn citizens against con men who come to the door. Two visiting scammers who claimed to be from Nassau County, on Long Island, offered to repair a partially damaged section of one victim’s roof for $3,400, Glen Rock Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. No sooner had they begun their work than they suddenly “discovered” that the damage was “more extensive than originally thought,” the chief said. They asked for an additional $24,000 and the resident subsequently wired them the money, he said. The…
Maintenance Man Poses As Complex Owner, Scams Apartment Seekers Out Of $14,000: Garfield PD Maintenance Man Poses As Complex Owner, Scams Apartment Seekers Out Of $14,000: Garfield PD
Maintenance Man Poses As Complex Owner, Scams Apartment Seekers Out Of $14,000: Garfield PD A maintenance man at a Garfield garden apartment complex scammed hopeful renters out of $14,000 by posting bogus listings on Facebook, showing them empty units he claimed he owned and then collecting deposits from them, authorities charged. John K. DelValle, a 48-year-old bodybuilder from Hackensack, made it all appear genuine by having the victims sign worthless rental agreements, police said. Then he handed them the master keys that he'd been given for work. DelValle also conned another unwitting victim out of $7,000 -- and a car -- by "selling" him a Tesla that he was renting, Garfield …
SCAM ALERT: 'Traveler' Busted In Attempted $15K Driveway Repair Ripoff In Upper Saddle River SCAM ALERT: 'Traveler' Busted In Attempted $15K Driveway Repair Ripoff In Upper Saddle River
Scam ALERT: 'Traveler' Busted In Attempted $15K Driveway Repair Ripoff In Upper Saddle River A transient was arrested after scamming an Upper Saddle River homeowner out of $2,000 and then demanding $13,000 more, authorities said. William Connors, 50, solicited the work from a resident on the north side of town by offering "leftover materials from a nearby job," USR Police Capt. Edward Kane said. Connors got a $2,000 down payment for the fraud on Wednesday, Oct. 4, then returned to the victim's home on Thursday and insisted on $13,000 more, the captain said. The driveway had to be entirely replaced as a result, Kane noted. Connors, meanwhile, was arrested by borough police who dis…
Newly-Widowed NJ Mom Falls Victim To Gravestone Scammer: 'I Want Him Stopped' Newly-Widowed NJ Mom Falls Victim To Gravestone Scammer: 'I Want Him Stopped'
Newly-Widowed NJ Mom Falls Victim To Gravestone Scammer: 'I Want Him Stopped' Another New Jersey resident who was scammed out of thousands of dollars by Gregory Stefan, Jr. is sharing her story. It wasn't a week after Irene Pollard lost her husband before Gregory Stefan, Jr. had found her number. The North Brunswick mom was just beginning to wrap her head around the death of her husband, Myron Pollard, on Dec. 29, 2022, when Stefan began calling, asking her about creating a headstone for the gravesite. "It was way too soon," Pollard said.  Not one to make others feel pushed aside, Pollard saved Stefan's number as a contact in her phone so she could at least answer…
Grieving Bridgewater Woman Victimized By NJ Gravestone Scammer: 'People Can't Find Closure' Grieving Bridgewater Woman Victimized By NJ Gravestone Scammer: 'People Can't Find Closure'
Grieving Bridgewater Woman Victimized By NJ Gravestone Scammer: 'People Can't Find Closure' Barbara Kalmus was still reeling from the death of her sister last May when she was preyed upon by Gregory Stefan, Jr. The Bridgewater resident was one of several people authorities say was grifted by Stefan, who was recently arrested on a warrant by police in Vineland for scamming customers out of thousands of dollars through his company Colonial Memorials, not long after it was revealed he had been doing the same with his father and brother with their Pennsylvania company, 1843 LLC. Following her sister's death due to cancer, Stefan reached out to Kalmus about getting a headstone for he…
Car Full Of Fools Gold Lands NJ Man Trip To Fed Pen — Then Back To India Car Full Of Fools Gold Lands NJ Man Trip To Fed Pen — Then Back To India
Car Full Of Fools Gold Lands NJ Man Trip To Fed Pen — Then Back To India A New Jersey scammer whose eyes were bigger than his brain when he tried to rob an Athol woman of more than $300,000 was sentenced on Wednesday, May 24, to a year in prison, after which he'll be deported back to India authorities said.  Gaurang Contractor, 38, a citizen of India living in Jersey City, NJ, tried to trick a Central Massachusetts woman into believing he was a DEA agent and she needed to convert her life savings into gold and give it to him for safekeeping, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.  Contractor contacted the woman in August 2022 using the alias of "Oscar…
LOWLIFE SLIME: Scammer With 'Child Support Issues' Swindles Well-Meaning Woman Out Of $1,500 LOWLIFE SLIME: Scammer With 'Child Support Issues' Swindles Well-Meaning Woman Out Of $1,500
Lowlife Slime: Scammer With 'Child Support Issues' Swindles Well-Meaning Woman Out Of $1,500 A lowlife with a BS story about child support troubles conned a well-meaning woman out of $1,500 outside a Clifton bank, authorities said. The 20-something scammer approached the 62-year-old Belleville resident at the ATM of the Citibank at the River Front Center shopping mall on westbound Route 3 in the afternoon on Sunday, April 2, Police Lt. Robert Bracken said. In his hand was a check that he said he needed to cash but couldn't because of "child support issues," the lieutenant said. After depositing the check into her own account, the woman transferred $1,500 via Zelle to the stranger,…
WHEW: Phony $18M 'Prize' Nearly Convinces Wyckoff Woman, 82, To Give Scammer $10,000 WHEW: Phony $18M 'Prize' Nearly Convinces Wyckoff Woman, 82, To Give Scammer $10,000
Whew: Phony $18M 'Prize' Nearly Convinces Wyckoff Woman, 82, To Give Scammer $10,000 An 82-year-old woman from Wyckoff came within a whisker of losing $10,000 to a scammer who managed to con her out of $500 by claiming that she’d won $18 million and a new luxury vehicle, authorities said. The caller from an unknown number told the woman that she'd won a Publishers Clearing House grand prize, Police Lt. Joseph Soto said. However, the caller said she’d have to buy $10,000 worth of gift cards – and then provide the numbers on them – to collect her prizes, Soto said. The woman bought a $500 card and gave the information to redeem it to the caller, the lieutenant said. He then…
Bergen Scam Victim Literally Gift-Wraps $25,000 In Cash Bergen Scam Victim Literally Gift-Wraps $25,000 In Cash
Bergen Scam Victim Literally Gift-Wraps $25,000 In Cash Yes, it’s difficult to believe, but an unwitting North Jersey victim literally gift-wrapped $25,000 in cash for a scammer to steal. It happened to a 75-year-old Glen Rock resident who got a pop-up home computer message directing her to contact Apple/Microsoft "due to an issue with their computer,” Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. The victim used the number provided by the scammer rather than do an independent search herself for whom to call, the chief said. A purported representative who answered told her that it would cost $25,000 to resolve the issue. So the victim withdrew the cash fr…
NJ Boardwalk Operator Banned 10 Years For Using Overinflated Basketballs, Posting False Prizes NJ Boardwalk Operator Banned 10 Years For Using Overinflated Basketballs, Posting False Prizes
NJ Boardwalk Operator Banned 10 Years For Using Overinflated Basketballs, Posting False Prizes A Jersey Shore game operator was banned from business for 10 years and fined $15,500 for over-inflating basketballs and displaying prizes that couldn’t be won, state authorities said. Some basketballs at games owned by Christine Strothers on the boardwalks in Wildwood and North Wildwood packed up to three times the amount of required pounds per square inch of inflation, state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. This, as most players know, can make a ball ricochet wildly off a backboard or rim, the attorney general noted. Strothers also broke New Jersey’s amusement games lic…