One thing you can always count on is scammers coming up with all sorts of ways to separate you from your money. One trend that’s popped up in Wake Forest, North Carolina shows a disturbing trend where car crash victims are targeted by scammers posing as police.
A crabbing Dodge Charger has completely freaked people out.
A Wake Forest Police spokesman said during a CBS 17 interview this new type of scam has been going on for a few weeks and it has police concerned. A person posing as a member of the force calls the crash victims a few days after the incident, providing all kinds of information like their address, vehicle make/model in the wreck, etc. to sound authoritative.
From there, the scammer then states the victim has missed a court date and is on the wrong side of the law. These people, being upstanding citizens and unfortunately gullible, panic and understandably so.
Scammers like to get you emotionally worked up so you stop thinking. Once you’re in that state, they can then push you in whatever direction they want.
In this case, the scammer says the missed court date can be taken care of for a small payment. Before the person on the other end of the telephone call has time to think, they’re asking for credit card info.
The amount these scammers are charging for the supposedly missed court date isn’t large, just a few hundred dollars, but that adds up as they fool more and more victims.
We’re sure this scam isn’t just happening in North Carolina. How exactly these people are getting crash victims’ info to pull it off isn’t clear, but it sounds like at least Wake Forest Police are investigating to see if they can figure that out.
In the meantime, know that police will never call and ask you for a payment of any kind over the phone. If you think someone isn’t being truthful, hang up and call the police department directly. They’ll gladly answer whatever questions you have.
Image via David Henry/Pexels
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