GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Law Enforcement is warning of a two-part scam to extort money from victims.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Better Business Bureau says a spoofing scam is taking advantage of victims, taking their money and scaring them. Susan Bach of the Better Business Bureau says the first part is to groom their victim.
“The scammer befriends a victim using a mobile app and after establishing romantic interest, persuades the victim to send money.”
The app that is used has a built-in chat feature, such as Facebook Messenger or Words with Friends. After gaining the victim’s trust through the online relationship, the perpetrator describes a minor hardship and persuades the victim to send them a small amount of money.
Bach says the scare comes the following day.
“The victim receives a call from the fraudster, claiming to be with the Department of Homeland Security, saying that they have proof that they sent money to a known terrorist organization.”
She says that can be the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Al-Qaeda, and threatens them with arrest and imprisonment.
They then direct the victim to contact a “lawyer” who can help them resolve the matter. The victim contacts the “lawyer” via email or phone and is instructed to pay them $1,000 or more via check, wire transfer, or other methods as a “retainer.”
Bach says the Federal Government departments would never act in this way.
“They are taking advantage of the fear that we have in those terrorist organizations.”
Individuals receiving phone calls from these numbers should not provide any personal information. If there is a question about the validity of a call, people are encouraged to call the relevant field office number of the government agency and ask to be put in touch with the individual who called you.
Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of this scam is urged to call the DHS OIG Hotline (1-800-323-8603) or file a complaint online via the DHS OIG website www.oig.dhs.gov.
By asking the perpetrators for a phone number or email address you can use to contact them to facilitate payment, you may be able to obtain valuable information that could assist DHS OIG to investigate the scam.
You may also contact the Federal Trade Commission to file a complaint and/or report identity theft.
