Friday, May 17, 2013
David Wooten set up a fictitious business in Park Ridge where he would befriend customers looking to sell art, sports memorabilia or even vehicles. His scheme reached several states, Park Ridge police said, and they're seeking more victims.
Meet David Ray Wooten. Yet his victims may know him by several other names. According to police, Wooten established a fictitious company in Park Ridge in an effort to gain the trust of his victims. He then conducted business transactions with his victims, taking possession of their vehicles, sports memorabilia, cash, artwork among other things without providing the agreed upon compensation. In addition, Wooten would befriend people, often assuming the name of his previous victim, establish credibility and then commit acts of fraud, authorities said. His scheme reached states beyond Illinois, including Indiana, Wisconsin and Missouri. Police believe his ruse affected some 100 victims throughout the Midwest. Given that and the fact that a …
Scambook is offering information on avoiding this scam and protecting yourself from scammers.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Friday, May 17
Due to the extreme penalties behind missing jury duty, scammers are preying on victims’ fear of legal action by pretending to be “jury duty coordinators” questioning consumers about recent jury duty summons. This scam that dates back to 2005, is circulating again with multiple states being hit including Illinois, Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona and Oregon. Victims are being confused by scammers who request a Social Security number and date of birth to "verify" their information. With this information, scammers are armed for identity theft, tax fraud, hacking into bank accounts or other illegal purposes. To avoid falling for this jury duty phone scam, Scambook advises the following: 1. Understand that jury duty is always arranged by mailed …
Friday, December 28, 2012
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said two Chicagoland victims lost up to $90,000.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Friday, December 28, 2012
Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart is warning residents not to be fooled by scams where “winners” are told they are entitled to a large lottery cash prize without ever having purchased a ticket. Scammers are reaching their victims, who are often senior citizens, via telephone calls, faxes, emails and letters to tell them about their “jackpot.” Some of these letters include phony seals and certificates. To collect, however, money needs to be sent either via Western Union or cashier’s check to a foreign address to pay for additional taxes and/or handling charges. The scammer may also contact the victim again and mention there was a mistake on the tax calculation and more money must be sent. During the last six months, an 80-year-old …
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Niles police warn two people have been approached by scam artists so far; one lost $4,000 to the prepaid card scheme. The scammers can be in any country, making it impossible to recover the funds.
Holding up a Green Dot prepaid card, Niles Police Chief Dean Strzelecki briefed business owners that con artists are using it to defraud people. Strzelecki, speaking to the Niles Chamber of Commerce Thursday, said the card has its merits, and can be useful for travelers because if someone steals it, they can only get the amount that has been loaded onto the card. However, the department has seen two scam cases involving the card this week. Earlier: One victim smells scam, another duped $4,000 "The potential victim is contacted via phone, and told they've won a prize, such as a large sum of cash, a vehicle or some other high-value item. The caller then instructs the potential victim to go to a retailer to purchase a Green Dot card and …
Friday, November 2, 2012
Both involved prepaid cards. An arrest is merely an accusation and not evidence of a conviction.
An 87-year-old Niles woman told police Oct. 29 she had received a phone call in which the caller said she had won an award for paying her bills on time. The caller told the victim to go to a retail store and purchase a prepaid card in the amount of $1,000. The caller told the victim this would verify her identity and she would then receive the award of $500,000. The woman, of the 8900 block of Wisner, sensed it was a scam and she hung up. Another man called her back and said he wanted to clarify the instructions, but she didn't give him any further information. Another victim of this scam not so lucky On Oct. 29, the manager of a store in the 9600 block of Milwaukee Avenue called police to report that one of his customers, a 78-year-old …
Big Al
7:07 am on Saturday, May 18, 2013
companies that sell our phone numbers is the problem. the law should go after them. more ›