"Keep Yourself Safe from Scams" has been developed by the Orangetown Police Department Community Policing / Crime Prevention Unit with the belief that by following the suggestions as mentioned, your chances of becoming the victim of a "Fraud or Scam" will be greatly reduced.

 

HERE ARE SOME RULES TO HELP KEEP YOU SAFE FROM SCAMS:

 

1. Always be skeptical of unsolicited calls.

2. Be wary of door-to-door sales

3. Take time to think things through in the face of high pressure sales pitches.

4. Take all the time you need to investigate any home improvement offer.

5. Remember you are entitled by law to cancel any transactions you have agreed to, within three business days.

6. Never sign a contact to make a purchase without fully understanding the terms of the agreement.

7. Never give out your credit card identification or bank account number over the phone or to a company not known to you.

8. DO NOT BE TAKEN IN by "You Have Won" notifications over the phone or by mail.

9. Do not assume that "charitable" solicitations are legitimate, no matter how heartwarming their cause may seem.

10. Do not do business with a company you know little about.

If in doubt, call your local Better Business Bureau or the Rockland County Office of Consumer Affairs.

 

Rockland County Office of Consumer Affairs, New City Consumer problems- (845) 638-5280

 

Better Business Bureau, 30 Glenn Street, White Plains, NY 10603 (845) 428-1230.

 

IF YOU SUSPECT A FRAUD OR SCAM DO NOT BE EMBARRASSED TO CALL THE POLICE, in Orangetown call (845) 359-3700.

 

1. UTILITY CONS: THE INSPECTOR

 

A relatively new scam has cropped up in the last few years in which con artists posing as utility employees try to gain entry to homes and businesses in order to steal money and other valuables. They are very clever, usually working these cons when a utility vehicle is visible to the customer. They sometimes claim to be "inspectors".

A variation is the "Social Security Agent" and his "colleague" who are conducting a study offering In-home services to seniors who receive Social Security benefits. They are allowed into the home to interview the senior. Once in, one of them leads the victim through the questionnaire, while the other excuses himself to go to the bathroom. He then searches the place for cash and jewelry.

 

* PLEASE REMEMBER ALWAYS ASK FOR AND CHECK THE UTILITY REPRESENTATIVES PHOTO IDENTIFICATION CARD BEFORE ADMITTING THE PERSON ONTO YOUR PREMISES.

 

* IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION ABOUT THE IDENTIFICATION AT ALL, ASK FOR THE SUPERVISORS PHONE NUMBER AND CALL:

 

Orange and Rockland Utilities at (845) 358-7800 (Orangetown area only)

 

Gas leaks only - 1(800) 533-5325

 

Central Office: 75 West Route 59, Spring Valley, NY 10977 (845) 352-6000

 

2. UTILITY CONS: THE BILLPAYER

 

Yet another scam is the con artist who volunteers to pay a customer's utility bills with a check, and even presents the customer with a receipt saying the bill is paid in full, after taking cash from the customer. A few days later the customer gets a letter in the mail, informing him that the payment check has bounced.

 

* PLEASE REMEMBER DO NOT GIVE CASH TO ANYONE WHO SAYS HE HAS CONNECTIONS WITH A UTILITY COMPANY AND OFFERS TO PAY YOUR BILL WITH HIS PERSONAL CHECK IN EXCHANGE FOR YOUR CASH.

 

3. HOME IMPROVEMENT:

 

THE HOME REPAIR SWINDLE

In this case, a "worker" tells a homeowner that he has been working down the street and noticed that the owner's roof (or driveway, chimney, furnace) has a problem. He claims that he has leftover material from the job he is finishing and he can help you out for the cost of his labor. If you accept this pitch, you'll usually -find out later that the work is either incomplete or poorly done and overpriced. The con artist has now collected the money up-front and disappeared.

 

* PLEASE REMEMBER: "REPAIRS" LIKE THESE ACTUALLY CAN DAMAGE OR DIMINISH THE VALUE OF YOUR PROPERTY. NEVER HIRE A "CONTRACTOR" WHO KNOCKS ON YOUR DOOR TO ASK FOR BUSINESS. LEGITIMATE CONTRACTORS DON'T OPERATE THIS WAY.

 

* BE ESPECIALLY WARY DURING MILD-WEATHER MONTHS, AND FOLLOWING A DISASTER SUCH AS A FIRE OR A FLOOD.

 

* ALWAYS INSIST ON WRITTEN ESTIMATES FROM LICENSED HOME IMPROVEMENT CONTRACTORS.

 

* GET IN WRITING A DESCRIPTION OF ALL THE WORK TO BE DONE AND THE FULL PRICE OF THE JOB.

 

* ALL CONTRACTORS IN ROCKLAND COUNTY ARE REQUIRED TO BE LICENSED BY THE COUNTY.

 

* BEFORE HIRING A CONTRACTOR, VERIFY THAT HE IS LICENSED BY CALLING THE ROCKLAND COUNTY OFFICE OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS AT (845) 638-5280

 

OR

Better Business Bureau
30 Glenn Street White Plains, NY 10603 (845) 428-1230

 

4. TELEMARKETING FRAUD:

 

THE FREE PRIZE AND/OR VACATION

 

Beware the prize promoter who wants you to do or pay something in order to get a "free" prize (usually worthless or overpriced), or part of a "free" or "low cost" vacation (the total cost may be two or three times more than you expected).

Other common telephone scams are "get rich quick" pitches that promise high investment returns with little or no risk (gemstones, rare coins, oil and gas leases). They turn out to be worthless or worth much less than you paid.

 

*PLEASE REMEMBER: SOME CON ARTISTS CALL DAY AFTER DAY UNTIL YOU FEEL THEY ARE FRIENDS. THEY ARE VERY SKILLED AT SOUNDING BELIEVABLE.

 

*ALWAYS ASK FOR AND WAIT UNTIL YOU RECEIVE WRITTEN INFORMATION ABOUT ANY OFFER OR CHARITY. CHECK OUT UNFAMILIAR COMPANIES WITH THE ROCKLAND COUNTY OFFICE OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS AT (845) 638-5280

 

OR

Better Business Bureau
30 Glenn Street
White Plains, NY 10603
(845) 428-1230

 

5. THE TELEMARKETING RECOVERY SCAM

 

Con artists will call, particularly if you have responded to any telemarketing scams, and offer to get your money back! They offer, for a "fee," to recover lost money or goods or prizes that were never delivered. Of course, they take your money and produce nothing.

A variation is when the con artist approaches the victim of an earlier scam, posing as a "detective", and claiming that a bank employee is involved in the prior con, convinces the victim to withdraw money from the bank. The victim turns over the cash, gets a worthless receipt, and finds out that the money has not been redeposited as promised.

 

*PLEASE REMEMBER: DON'T BE PRESSURED ABOUT HAVING TO "ACT NOW OR THE OFFER WON'T BE GOOD".  TAKE YOUR TIME MAKING A DECISION. LEGITIMATE COMPANIES DON'T PRESSURE YOU TO ACT FAST.

 

6. THE POCKETBOOK DROP

 

This is an old and still very successful scam. A stranger (usually a woman) opens a conversation with the prospective victim (also usually a woman) on the street. Shortly, a third woman appears with an envelope that holds a large sum of money she has just "found." No one actually gets to examine the money. The second stranger says she will go off to consult with her boss, a lawyer, about what to do with the money. On her return, she reports that her boss says she must share the money equally with the other two, but they must first show that they have money of their own.

The first stranger says she has an insurance award with her, which she will show to the lawyer. She leaves. On her return, she claims the lawyer has given her one third of the found money.

The two instruct the victim to go to the bank to withdraw cash. the woman "who works for the lawyer" says she will take the victim's money to him. She returns saying the lawyer wants to talk with the victim, as he is now counting the money. The victim follows directions to his office, finds he does not exist, and on returning to where the strangers were, finds them gone with all the money.

 

*PLEASE REMEMBER: DO NOT GIVE CASH TO SOMEONE YOU DO NOT KNOW. DO NOT WITHDRAW MONEY FROM A BANK IN THE PRESENCE OF SOMEONE YOU DO NOT KNOW.

 

7. THE BANK EXAMINER

 

This con artist usually calls on the phone, and says that some accounts at the bank, including the victim's account, show large withdrawals. The person claims to be a police officer or bank employee, and that he suspects a dishonest employee. The victim is told to withdraw money from a certain window 'in order to help trap the thief". The victim is then told to put money in an envelope and give it to a "bank examiner" who will approach the victim at the teller's window. The "examiner" says the money will be re-deposited the next day. Of course, after a few days, an inquiry about the victim's bank account shows no irregularities, only the money missing due to the withdrawal for the "bank examiner".

 

*PLEASE REMEMBER: CHECK ALL SO-CALLED "OFFICIAL" PHONE CALLS TO YOU, SIMPLY BY CALLING THE INSTITUTION AND ASKING FOR THE PERSON BY NAME AND TITLE TO VERIFY THE ORIGINAL TELEPHONE CALL.

 

*NO INSTITUTION MAKES A PRACTICE OF ASKING CLIENTS TO ENGAGE IN "DETECTIVE" WORK FOR THEM.

 

8. THE INSURANCE OR OTHER POLICY SALES PITCH

 

When pushing phony insurance, some con artists will precede the in-home sales visit with a telephone call that leads the victim to believe that the con artist is a government representative anxious to explain impending charges in Social Security or Medicare. This is their fraudulent way of sounding knowledgeable and authoritative so that the prospect will purchase unnecessary or duplicate insurance.

Another similar scam results in the con artist pocketing the premium, leaving the victim both uninsured and without a reserve for paying various health care costs.

Another ruse is the phony "IRS Agent," who instructs the victim to wire money to the con artist to pay federal taxes on a prize (trip, camera, TV). Or the con artist telephones a recent widow and says her deceased spouse left a tax bill she must pay immediately in cash or lose her house.

 

* PLEASE REMEMBER: STATE OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS DO NOT SELL OR SERVICE INSURANCE POLICIES.

 

* NEVER GIVE A STRANGER YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.

 

* INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE REGISTERED BY YOUR STATE INSURANCE DEPARTMENT. AGENTS MUST CARRY PROOF OF LICENSING, SHOWING THEIR NAME AND THE COMPANY NAME (A BUSINESS CARD IS NOT A LICENSE).

 

9. THE HOTEL SEMINAR PROMOTING LIVING TRUSTS

 

The sale of living trusts (a trust established and in operation where assets for the benefit of another person are held by the trustee while the donor is still living) is a profitable scam for some con artists, who often market them through "seminars" at local hotels. They're known to follow up on names on attendance sheets to set up in-home contacts.

Be aware that salespeople selling this kind of instrument often use high pressure tactics, ignoring the possible disadvantages of living trusts for some. Sales pitches capitalize on older people's wishes to avoid the hazards of probate. Too often senior citizens are sold boilerplate living trust documents at a cost of thousands of dollars, whether or not it is an appropriate estate planning tool for them.

 

* PLEASE REMEMBER: DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE PUSHED INTO A PURCHASE THAT MAY PROVE UNSUITABLE FOR YOUR NEEDS. SEEK UNBIASED HELP.

 

* TALK WITH EXPERIENCED FRIENDS AND TRUSTED PROFESSIONALS BEFORE YOU INVEST IN ANY KIND OF LEGAL INSTRUMENT.

 

10. THE FORTUNE TELLER

 

Please keep in mind that no "teller of fortunes" can ease your problems or your loneliness or predict your future. The fortune teller claims to have powers that can make you more money, cure a serious illness, bring you great luck, or solve a serious personal problem.

Fortune tellers can deceive you because they're clever. They listen closely to what you say. They try to determine if you have money - and if you do, they will say that help is going to take time. If you are persuaded that they are helping, you return again and again and are charged more money each time for escalating "talents".

In addition to the money they take from you under false pretenses, they may also steal money or valuables from you.

They soon disappear. If they sense the police may investigate, they simply move out - overnight, if necessary.

 

* PLEASE REMEMBER: NOBODY HAS "MAGICAL POWERS."

 

* A FORTUNE TELLER'S "WORK" IS ILLEGAL.

 

Unfortunately, every year many of our citizens fall victim to fraudulent scams. Many cases involve our senior citizens whom these con artists target and prey on. They know that senior citizens often are too embarrassed to report being victims to Police.

 

If you have any questions or concerns on anyone soliciting anything from you, do not hesitate to contact the Orangetown Police Department at (845) 359-3700.

 

If you feel you have been a victim of a scam, contact the Police immediately. The sooner we can investigate, the better our chances are of making an arrest and possibly recover your loss.