September 2015 Chief of Police Dennis J. Mc Enerney Volume 2, Issue 9 S.c.r.a.m. gazette

Publisher House Scam

Residents have recently been reporting that they are reactions of surprised winners and used them in receiving calls from Jamaica stating they are winners our nationally-televised commercials. You’ll know Niles Police 7000 W. Touhy Ave of the “Publisher Clearing House” prize. you’re a big PCH winner if you see the Prize Patrol Niles, IL 60714 at your front door holding a “Big Check” with your PCH Offers these tips to figure out if it’s real or not: name on it! 847-588-6500

www.nilespd.com 1. If you’re required to wire or pay any amount of 4. If someone calls you on the telephone claiming in order to claim a prize, it’s a Publishers to be from Publishers Clearing House and says you Clearing House Scam. PCH sweepstakes are ALWAYS have won, it’s a Publishers Clearing House Scam. Do FREE to enter, and there is never any fee associated NOT give them any personal information! As stated with winning. above, the Prize Patrol awards all our Big Prizes in person and would never call you to update any per- 2. If you’re asked to load up a Green Dot MoneyPak sonal information in our files. or other money transfer card, in exchange for claim- ing your prize, it’s a Publishers Clearing House Scam. 5. If someone claiming to be from Publishers Clear- Again, PCH will NEVER ask you to pay a cent to col- ing House tries to send you a friend request on Fa- lect a prize. cebook, it’s a Publishers Clearing House Scam. Even if they are using the name and photo of a promi- 3. If someone tries to contact you in advance regard- nent PCH employee ―do NOT believe them. Our ing a prize delivery, it’s a Publishers Clearing House PCH employees and official PCH Prize Patrol Fan Scam! After all, that would ruin the surprise! For pages will never private message you on Facebook. decades, our Prize Patrol has captured the elated

What’s the deal with “Rachel from Card Services”? Your top 3 questions answered.

Rachel and her cohorts from “Card Ser- And never give any of your financial in- and may find unauthorized charges on vices” have been annoying people for formation, like your credit card or their cards. years with their illegal robocalls. The FTC account numbers. is working hard to stop them. The FTC In many cases, these companies charge has answers to your top 3 questions. Report it. Tell us what happened: visit you for things you could do on your own complaints.donotcall.gov or call 1-888- for free. They might open a new card 1. Why does “Card Services” keep call- 382-1222. with a low introductory interest rate, or ing me? tell you to take advantage of your credit 3. Can “Card Services” actually lower The FTC has shut down more than a doz- card company’s existing hardship pro- my interest rate? en of these “Card Services” companies — grams. And they often use shady tactics including one this past June and yet an- NO.. It’s a scam. If you press “1,” you’re — like telling you to stop paying your other in July. But there are lots of other connected to a scammer who will ask for bills, lying to your credit card company so companies, and new ones pop up often. your credit card number and other per- that you qualify for a hardship program, Many operate in U.S. and overseas use sonal information. and not telling you that you’ll have to

the exact same recorded message run- pay additional fees to transfer a balance. They’ll make promises to lower your in- ning a scam to — supposedly — reduce If you follow that advice, you’ll be in terest rate permanently — sometimes to your credit card interest rate. An active worse financial trouble than ever. a ridiculously low 0% — but charge a fee operation can make millions of calls. that can be as high as $5,000. But their If you need help settling credit card debt, 2. What should I do if I get these calls? promises aren’t true. There are no guar- There are free ways to do it yourself. And antees for permanently lowered interest Hang up. Don’t press any buttons on if you need additional help, consider con- rates. And it’s against the law to charge a your phone. Don’t press 1 to speak to tacting a legitimate credit counseling fee up-front for these services. Most someone — or to be taken off the call service. people who pay the fee don’t get a lower list. You’ll just get more annoying calls. rate — in fact, they get into worse debt,

Chief of Police Dennis J. Mc Enerney Most Common Ways Scammers Separate Seniors from Their Money!

There are a lot of reasons Internet scam- for it and wire the money without veri- what’s known as “phishing” emails. These mers and identity thieves target senior fying the cause. emails can take on many forms, but they citizens, with factors ranging from their have something in common: They want sense of trust in others, to income availa- 2. Asking for Your Social Num- you to click a link in the email and be redi- bility, to concerns for personal safety. ber rected. They might be promising cheap And while scammers may be counting on Anyone who asks for a Social Security pharmaceuticals or a medical benefits older adults’ fears of looking like they number, especially over the phone or card, two major areas of concern for older can’t take care of themselves — and online, should make you think twice. adults. The link most likely contains harm- therefore not reporting that they’ve Only in recent years have we really ful viruses that will install themselves on been victimized — the sad reality is that started to raise awareness about keep- the computer to steal information or log Internet scammers can go after anyone. ing your SSN secure, so scammers know keystrokes. Never click on a link in an that a senior citizen is more likely to email that you don’t have reason to trust. This list includes only a few of the red give it out than a younger consumer. If Go directly to the website yourself and flags that seniors should keep in mind anyone ever contacts you by phone and then handle the issue there if you think it when it comes to avoiding scams: asks for your SSN, hang up immediately might be real. and contact the company directly. Your 1. Wiring Money or Money Transfers SSN can be used to open new accounts New scams are created every day, so The ability to wire money is a vital eco- in your name and commit identity fraud these are just a few of the red flags. Pre- nomic tool, but it’s also a dead giveaway that you may not become aware of until vention is the best course of action, and of a scam since thieves know it is hard to you check your credit. that can happen when seniors educate trace the money. Whether it’s the age- themselves about the latest threats. old “grandchild has been arrested in a 3. Clicking a Link to be Redirected foreign country” scam or a threat of bill Some of today’s senior adults are rela- Groups like the AARP, the Veterans Ad- collections, alleged fines that are owed, tively new to computers, smartphones, ministration, and the Better Business Bu- or a missed credit card payment, if you social media, email and other handy reau (just to name a few) have online and are ever asked to wire money or use a tech tools. Unfortunately, that just phone resources in place to keep consum- prepaid credit card to make a payment, means it’s easier than ever for scam- ers up-to-date on these types of scams. STOP. Whatever you do, don’t just fall mers to reach out to senior citizens with

Foreclosure Rescue Scams in Illinois

The ads will appear in billboards and on closure rescue scheme complaints re- tions are confidential. Facebook in the areas that have reported ceived by the state attorney general's foreclosure rescue scams most frequent- office involve attorneys or law firms, ac- Search government-vetted companies. ly. Typically, a scammer will promise the cording to the GAO report. Consumers can search a company's distressed homeowner a lifeline out of name to determine if that company is foreclosure but then take the homeown- Nationally, homeowners victimized by "government-vetted," utilize the Better ers money while not providing the help schemes orchestrated by lawyers lost an Business Bureau site a www.bbb.org. that was promised. average of $3,449, compared with an average loss off $2,727 in reported scams Report scams: Homeowners who are Fraudulent activity today is more sophis- where no attorney was involved. working with a company they suspect of ticated, and a growing concern involves a operating a scam have the to file loophole being taken advantage of by Even with a complaint in hand, tracking a complaint with the Illinois Attorney unscrupulous attorneys. Almost three down bad lawyers is no easy task, inves- General’s Officer at years ago, the FTC prohibited advance tigators have found. If an attorney is www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov fees for foreclosure rescue assistance, brought in to help a firm with only cer- . and states like Illinois also have a ban. tain tasks, it can be hard to determine if Get tips. From the Illinois Attorney Gen- the attorney was really working on be- erals Website for Seniors and homeown- But under certain conditions, attorneys half of the client or the firm. ers information on how to recognize a are exempt from the ban and can collect foreclosure scam, fees from consumers before any services Also in some states, Illinois being one of are provided. them, a separate group disciplines law- yers, but it does not have any law en- In Illinois, almost 70 percent of the fore- forcement authority and its investiga-