With new technologies, new scams often follow thereafter. Sometimes though, a seasoned scammer will turn to tried and true methods in order to juke unsuspecting people out of their money or valuables.
Lately, an enterprising scam artist has decided to ply his trade in the Santa Clarita Valley via the telephone.
The scam involves receiving a phone call from a deputy (who is in fact, an imposter) and then being told that a friend or loved one has been arrested or been in an accident.
The victim is told that their name and number were listed as an emergency contact, and to obtain more information, to call a phone number beginning with *72.
This is where the scam comes in. When a person dials *72 before a phone number, it will forward all of their incoming calls to the phone number dialed after *72 is entered. Basically, if you were to dial *72 (661) 555-4298, all of your incoming calls would be forwarded to the number (661) 555-4298.
It is important to note that while all incoming calls to the victim’s phone number are forwarded to the bogus number provided by the scammer, the victim is still charged for the calls forwarded. These kinds of scams are usually utilized by criminals who don’t want to pay for collect calls from out of state, overseas, and commonly from prison inmates.
The calls will continue to be forwarded to the bogus number until the victim cancels call forwarding by dialing *73, or by contacting the phone company. This usually takes a few days, so the scammer is able to rack up a pretty sizable phone bill before the victim has become aware that they have been scammed.
Not all of the telephone scams reported in the SCV involve simply stealing someone’s phone line for a few days. Much like the notorious, “Nigerian Prince” email scam, con-artists will use the telephone to try and trick a person into cashing bogus checks or asking for assistance in claiming lottery prize money.
If you receive any of these phone calls (as described above), or believe someone you know has fallen victim to this, or any other telephone scams rampant in the Santa Clarita Valley, it is recommended that you contact the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s station immediately at, (661) 255-1121.
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