Scammers Are Never At a Loss for New Ways to Separate You From Your Money, Property.

(LIVINGSTON) -- The Livingston Police Department has posted several warnings on its Facebook page detailing various scams being run in Montana. I find myself wondering "What will they think of next", and the answer today's answer is, "a few things, actually."

SCAM #1 - Fake Package Delivery

Livingston Police have reported the arrest of one individual involved in a delivery scam. In this one, the target receives a parcel that they did not order. The delivery driver requires a signature and a photo of your driver's license. With this information in hand, the scammer can then transfer title of the target's property - in this case, a vehicle..

RED FLAGS:

Are you expecting delivery of a package? If not, don't sign for it.
Is the driver employed by a recognized delivery service?
If the delivery driver requires a photo of your driver's license, chances are high it is a scam. DO NOT allow them to photograph your ID.

SCAM #2 - Fake Police Chief

Several citizens in the Livingston area reported receiving phone calls from someone claiming to be the Livingston Chief of Police. Caller ID indicated the call was from the LPD phone number and mentioned other facts that made it seem credible. "The Chief" then proceeded to ask for the target's financial information.

RED FLAGS:

Local law enforcement will not call and ask for financial information.
They will also not call to advise you of outstanding warrants.

LPD advised that if you receive a call of this nature, you should just hang up. However, if you are unsure of the authenticity of the call, they advise that you verify the caller's name, then let caller know you are hanging up. Then you can look up the office phone number and ask for the officer you just hung-up with. Note: If the caller gives you a call-back number, be sure to check it against the phone book. DO NOT call 911.

SCAM #3 - "Operation Homeless"

“Operation Homeless” is a nationwide fraudulent check-cashing scheme involving a highly organized operation that persuades homeless individuals to cash fake checks, usually resulting in tens-of-thousands of dollars being stolen. Several banks in the Bozeman area are recent victims of this scheme.

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Those are the scams LPD warned of, but of course, there are several more that are continually making the rounds.

SCAM #4 - Traffic Warrants

One that I find in my email inbox now and again is the "traffic warrant", notifying me that my vehicle was caught on camera running a red light in downtown Shelby. (This one's actually funny because, of course, there are no traffic lights in Shelby.) Of course, I can avoid having to appear in court by just calling the number provided and paying by debit or credit card.

SCAM #5 - Bail Money

This one has me seeing red every time I think of it, because the target was my elderly mother. She called me in a panic after receiving a call from someone who identified himself as a public defender assigned to represent her grandson, who had been arrested and needed bail money. Since the caller couldn't tell her which local jail he was in (HUGE RED FLAG), I suggested she try calling her grandson (my nephew), who it turned out, was having breakfast with his wife.

SCAM #6 - Foreign Business Deals

Seems there is no end to the number of overseas (usually "Nigerian") princes, princesses and businessmen in need of a western accomplice to aid in transferring their fortune out of country. Every time I get one of these letters or emails, I wonder "who falls for this?" Apparently, enough people that it pays to keep trying.

Of course, any scammer is "banking" on two things: 1-that the target will actually take the bait, and 2-if the target realizes they've been scammed, they'll be too embarrassed to report it.

Categories: North Central Montana News