Newton Police are warning residents about a new scam going around: one where people receive threatening emails with a picture of their home saying if they do not pay large sums of money, the sender will reveal personal information about them they have gleaned through spyware.
The Newton Beacon spoke with Lt. Amanda Henrickson, bureau commander for the Newton Police Department’s Community Service Bureau, to learn more about this and other scams, and how residents can protect themselves.
Henrickson said scammers, often from other countries, will take photos from Google Images and link them with the homeowners’ email addresses that the scammers have found online.
But it isn’t real: the scammer doesn’t have spyware or secret cameras and is just hoping the potential victim will believe the email and send them money.
The money is often requested to be paid in Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency which is difficult to trace.
“Be wary of anyone requesting payment in the form of a gift card or money transfer,” said Henrickson.
Legitimate entities that you might owe payment to, like the IRS or a collections agency, will never request payment in the form of a gift card.
“Numbers can get spoofed,” she added, meaning a scammer will make it look like you’re receiving a call from a legitimate number. This can also happen with emails. “If you receive an email requesting payment, don’t click on any links,” she added.
Be cautious when receiving an unsolicited email asking for money that looks like it might be legitimate. Your bank will not send you random emails asking you for personal information, and neither will the IRS, the Social Security Administration or other government entities.
In addition to pretending to be watching you and pretending to be the IRS or a collections agency, scammers also pretend to be employers, especially at large institutions where the names of directors are publicly available.
They may also pretend to be members of the clergy. Your pastor, priest, or rabbi will never ask you for gift cards to support the congregation’s needs.
A real romantic partner you met online will also not ask for gift cards.
Another scam is the ‘grandparent scam’, where an elderly person will receive a call from someone purporting to be a grandchild, child, or niece or nephew, who desperately needs money, often to bail them out of jail.
“They try to target older residents and create an emotional reaction to get people to fall victim. People react first before they have time to sit down and process,” Henrickson said.
Scams often create a sense of urgency, whether that by threatening you or your loved ones or by promising a reward or prize if you act fast.
Whether the purported outcome is good or bad, be cautious when an email or phone call demands your immediate action.
If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from a police department, call the police department directly yourself to see if it’s legitimate.
“Verify who people are,” Henrickson said. She said that if someone gets arrested by Newton Police, the person is generally allowed to call to ask for bail money themselves. “You’re welcome to give us a call.”
You can call the non emergency line at 617-796-2100, about anything you have received you think might be a scam, whether related to the police department or not.
Calling an institution and asking if they have called you asking for money is also good practice when you are called by someone purporting to be from your bank.
Henrickson noted that banks have fraud departments and want to make sure their customers are not being scammed, so go and ask someone at your local branch before sending any money.
One instance where people really are wiring large amounts of money is when they are closing on a home, and this puts people at risk of being a victim.
People will receive emails purporting to be from the title company or broker telling them about a change in the account to wire the money to, but this is really from a scammer. It can be difficult if not impossible to get the money back.
Thankfully, Newton hasn’t had any door-to-door scammers recently, but there have been people trying this method before. Henrickson said that legitimate businesses and non-profits are required to register with the city before being permitted to go door-to-door, so call the police department non-emergency line if you are not sure if a sales or charity rep is real or not.
If you have accidentally clicked on a questionable link, make sure to change your computer passwords immediately. If you gave someone money with a credit or debit card, call your bank and tell them there’s a fraudulent charge to your account, and it can also be a good idea to freeze your credit. If someone calls you to tell you to send them money to get a refund, that is also a scam. The Federal Trade Commission maintains a website with advice on what to do if you were scammed and has places for you to report fraud and scams you have encountered.