On Wednesday, December 14, a 77-year-old Livermore resident called the Livermore Police Department after he realized he was a victim of a scam.
According to Livermore police, several people had contacted the victim by telephone claiming his personal information was compromised in a data breach and in a money laundering scheme.
The callers claimed to be from the Amazon fraud department and then with the Wells Fargo fraud department.
They convinced the victim to withdraw $47K in $100 bills, pack them in shoe boxes and then mail the money via a delivery service to an undisclosed location.
Livermore Police used the tracking number and was able to place a hold on the package to prevent it from being delivered. Livermore Police then retrieved the package with all the cash and returned it to the victim.
Here are some tips to avoid falling victim to a scam:
- Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you did not expect.
- Do not click on any links, even if it is a company you do business with. It is best to contact them on a trusted website or look up their phone number.
- Do not call a number a stranger provides or use phone numbers off Caller ID.
- Resist the pressure to act immediately. Honest businesses will give you time to make a decision.
- Never pay someone who insists you pay via certain methods such as cryptocurrency, money wires, gift cards, etc.
- Never deposit a check and send money back to someone.
- Stop and talk to someone you trust before you take action.
- Take steps to block unwanted calls and text messages.
You can also report scams and find more tips with the Federal Trade Commission via ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Information provided by the Livermore Police Department
