Man nearly scammed over $ 6,000 saved by deputy

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SAN LEANDRO, Calif .– A man who thought his daughter had been kidnapped almost paid crooks $ 6,000 in fake ransom, but was rescued by Alameda County Sheriff’s Deputies and San Leandro Police.

It happened last Friday.

The Sheriff’s Office reports that Deputy Lisa Bender, who works at Oakland International Airport, was reported by the visibly upset man who said his daughter was kidnapped and held for ransom.

The man was talking to a stranger on the loudspeaker of his cell phone.

“The alleged kidnapper demanded that he transfer $ 6,000 to Mexico in exchange for the safe return of his daughter,” the sheriff’s office said in a social media post. The suspect asked the father to stay on the phone with him and go to a Walmart to complete the wire transfer. The frantic father could hear a woman crying in the background and thought his daughter would be hurt. safety of his daughter, the worried father decided to try to meet the demands of the alleged kidnapper. “

Before leaving, the man gave his daughter’s name and cell phone number to Bender and another deputy, Erik Stavert.

As MPs followed the victim to the Walmart store on Hesperian Boulevard in San Leandro, they provided the information about the girl to dispatchers.

The deputies also asked for help from the San Leandro Police Department.

Meanwhile, dispatchers obtained an address for the girl and sent units to her home as a deputy tried to call her. They were able to contact the girl and confirm that she was safe at home.

The information was passed on to MEPs Bender and Stavert. They were able to put the father in touch with his daughter before the money was transferred.

The scammer was still on the phone with the father, but hung up when MPs tried to talk to him.

The Sheriff’s Office recommends that if you receive a call about a family member being kidnapped, call law enforcement immediately.

The Federal Trade Commission reports that these are the most common phone scams:

  • Impostor Scams – An acammer masquerades as someone you trust – a government agency like the Social Security Administration or the IRS, a family member, lover, or someone who claims there is has a problem with your computer. The scammer may even make a fake name or number appear on your caller ID to convince you.
  • Debt Relief & Credit Repair Scams – Scammers will offer to lower your credit card interest rates, repair your credit, or have your student loans canceled if you pay off loans first. costs to their business. But you could end up losing your money and ruining your credit.
  • Business and Investment Scams – Callers may promise to help you start your own business and offer you business coaching, or secure big profits from an investment. Don’t take their word for it. Learn about the FTC’s business opportunity rule and review investment opportunities with your securities regulator.
  • Charity Scams – Scammers like to pose as charities. Scams asking for donations for disaster relief efforts are especially common over the phone. Always check with a charity before giving, and don’t feel pressured to give immediately over the phone before you do so.
  • Extended car warranty – Scammers find out what type of car you drive and when you bought it to trick you into buying overpriced or worthless service contracts.
  • “Free” Trials – A caller might promise you a free trial and then sign up for products – sometimes many products – that you are billed for monthly until you cancel.
  • Loan scams – Loan scams include advance loan scams, where scammers target people with poor credit histories and guarantee loans or credit cards for an upfront fee. Legitimate lenders do not offer such guarantees, especially if you have bad credit, no credit, or bankruptcy.
  • Prize and Lottery Scams – In a typical prize scam, the caller will say that you won a prize, but then say that you have to pay a registration or shipping fee to get it. But after you pay, you find out that there is no price.
  • Travel and Timeshare Scams – Scammers promise free or cheap vacations that can end up costing you dearly in hidden costs. And sometimes after you pay you find out that there is no vacation. In timeshare resale scams, scammers lie and tell you that they will sell your timeshare – and may even have a buyer lined up – if you pay them first.

To avoid falling victim to a phone scam, the first tip is to simply hang up. Don’t worry about being rude – you’re stopping a crime.

Think about call blocking. If you have a landline, ask your telephone company what they offer. For cell phones, check out online reviews of call blocking apps.

And finally, as mentioned above, don’t trust your caller ID. Scammers may appear to be calling from the local police department, Social Security administration, or any other phone number or agency. The man who was nearly scammed over $ 6,000 was called from a Bay Area phone number.

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