Telephone Scam Alert

SCAM ALERTS

The Fort Wayne Police Department would like to remind the community that:

Scams can take many forms but always include seemingly free money or a great deal on the condition that the recipient of the fraudulent check forward some of the money from the check to another party. The victim will cash the check, see that the money has deposited in their account, and gladly forward a small portion of the funds. However, days later the check will bounce, the funds will disappear from the victim’s account, and the victim will still be held responsible by the bank for the funds that the victim transferred.
Never accept checks from persons or business that you do not personally know and never accept or cash checks that you are not expecting to receive.
Remember that no government agency or business will accept gift cards and bitcoin for any type of services or fees. You should never give out personal identifying information over the telephone or the internet to anyone unless you are sure of who you are speaking to.
If you ever have suspicions about a check or an unsolicited financial offer from a stranger, contact your bank or the bank who issued the check. If an unsolicited financial offer feels suspicious, it is usually a scam.
Contact the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to check how trustworthy a business is. You can also file a business review or complaint. Visit https://www.bbb.org for more information.

Learn more about common scams that take place in the community:

Details: Published: Thursday, 02 February 2023 12:40

A scam was recently reported where the victim was contacted via telephone by a suspect claiming to be an "Officer".

The victim was contacted twice, once from a Texas number and then a short time later with the caller ID showing 260-427-1222, which is the Fort Wayne Police Department's non-emergency number. The victim was told there was a hostage situation and a life needed to be saved. The victim was asked how much money he had. The suspect then directed the victim to withdraw a large amount from the bank ($10,000) and told to report to a Phillips 66 gas station on Broadway where there was a Bitcoin machine. The victim was given a verification number but was intercepted by a family member before any money transferred hands.