DA warns of scams ‘hurting a lot of hardworking Americans’
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A variety of internet and phone scams are on the rise across the country and Lycoming County District Attorney Tom Marino sounded the alarm bell during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
"This is an issue that has come to my attention multiple times," Marino said.
Roughly a year ago, he was contacted by an elderly man who related that he had met up with a woman on the internet who advised him that she could help him raise a small fortune, but needed a sizable amount of cash to show investors up front.
"Normally, they start out with, 'I need $250,000 and I guarantee you that in 30 to 60 days you will raise at least $30,000,'" Marino said of the scammers, many of whom he said funnel the money to China.
Many of these scams specifically target elderly men, who have either recently lost a spouse, or who are on the internet looking to hook up with a woman, he explained.
"We're talking about men that are at least within the 70-year-old range, that are just hooked by these women," Marino said.
"This organization that is working out of China follows websites where the lonely male is trying to connect with a female, and they will send a picture of this beautiful woman who's basically almost wearing nothing, and sometimes giving them a sob story," he said.
Scammers often use social media and dating sites, as well as obituaries listing surviving husbands to target their victims.
"It's a very sophisticated operation. Once that money is transferred, it's in China within 15 minutes. That's how quickly these transfers take place," Marino stressed.
The scammers rely on fraudulent, but very persuasive bank and investment documentation.
In another case, an older man was swindled out of half a million dollars by a woman who claimed that, upon entering the U.S., she was abducted at the airport by a gang and held for ransom.
"A previous phone call I received was from a family member of a doctor that hooked up with this woman, they were sending pictures and love texts to each other, and she said she wanted to come and live with the doctor and take care of him, but she also said that she was an investor, and she was making a lot of money," Marino said.
"By the time that family members found out what was going on, the doctor lost four and a half million dollars," he said.
Another elderly man who reached out to the DA's office also lost half a million dollars in a similar scheme.
"We're talking about close to $6 million involving just three lonely men, so multiply that by an unknown number of victims," Marino said.
"It's a sad situation, because family members are hurt, investments for maybe children are gone," he stressed.
"This is going to continue to explode more and more, and the point that we need to get across to anybody who gets on the internet and starts a romantic relationship is that 99% of the time, it is not what the lonely person is looking for, because eventually this person on the other end of the line is going to ask for money," he said, warning anyone who encounters such a situation to "shut it down immediately."
"They need to take down notes on as much as they can remember from beginning to end, because the more information we can give to federal authorities, it just might help track down those that are running this scam," Marino said, stressing that no personal information should ever be given out anyone that is not known personally.
"Once that bank name and number is given, within the next couple of minutes, it's gone. It's even baffling the banking institutions," he said.
Another recent scam addressed by Marino has seen residents contacted via text message, warning them that they have either an undeliverable package or an overdue toll that will result in the possession of their vehicle.
Marino advises anyone receiving messages such as these to avoid clicking on any links or providing any information in reference to the claim, and instead checking in with the agency or business being represented directly.
Unfortunately, advances in technology are also being exploited by those with nefarious intentions, Marino said.
"There's a device that someone can walk right up behind you and whoever has that scanning device can take those numbers almost immediately," he said, urging residents to not have their credit cards visually exposed for long periods of time.
"If you're checking out of a store or restaurant, and you're using a credit card, don't flash it around. It only takes a couple of seconds for a couple of devices out there to take a quick picture of your credit card numbers or as you start to punch the pin number in at a self checkout," Marino said.
"If you notice they're getting too close, tell them to back off and get a manager right away, and call our office and the police," he urged.
Marino said he has been in contact with federal authorities, as well as District Attorneys from across the commonwealth on the issue, but noted that due to the complexity of the operations, bringing the perpetrators to justice or recovering any of the lost funds is extremely difficult.
Marino said that he and his staff feel tremendous sympathy for those that fall victim to such scams.
"It's hurting a lot of hard working Americans," he said.
"It's not funny, it's sad. If you lose your wife, you're alone, if you don't have kids, it's depressing, and I feel sorry for these people, and that's why I've asked people to call the DA's office right away," Marino said.
"We have technical people that can track these numbers and are so intelligent with computers and devices like that," he said.
Anyone who feels they may have been contacted by scammers are urged to contact the Lycoming County District Attorney's Office at 570-327-2456, as well as the FBI at www.ic3.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.