Angels Camp Police Department Warns of Phone and Mail Scams

 

      Within the last two weeks the police department has been informed of several mail and telephone scams that are occurring in the Angels Camp area.

     The mail scam is fairly obvious; the potential victim receives a letter indicating that a friend recently passed away in a foreign country, and that a large sum of money is being "willed" to the person receiving the letter. Included in the letter are contact information and a request to keep the matter confidential. These scams typically originate in foreign countries.

     Two recent telephone scam attempts, occurring days apart, are more alarming. The suspect (in both of the recent cases a male) identifies himself by name as a family member or a close friend, and advises that he has been arrested in a foreign country and needs money to bail out of jail. In one of the cases the suspect identified himself as a close family friend, and stated that he was arrested in a foreign country that the victim knew was recently visited by their friend.

     A request was made in both cases to wire money via Western Union, and several follow-up calls were made by the suspect to ensure that the money would be sent.

     The recent targets of these scams are elderly residents. Please do not provide anyone that calls you or otherwise contacts you with any personal information. Do not attempt to send money without first confirming facts. Confirmation can be as simple as hanging up the phone and calling the person that the suspect is identifying himself as. Notify the police and request that a police report be taken.

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