[00:00:04] This is Scams and Cons News with Jim Grinstead
[00:00:09] In today's news, a Washington State man is suing a company that he was convicted of stealing $260,000 from in a cattle scheme.
[00:00:19] And airlines are being targeted by scammers who want to be among the first to board airplanes and get the best seats.
[00:00:25] But first we start with the South San Francisco woman who lost $22,000 in a scam involving a miscarriage.
[00:00:33] The caller said she was involved in an auto accident with the woman's son and, as a result, suffered a miscarriage.
[00:00:40] KRON reported that the woman offered the victim money and two men showed up at her home twice to collect it.
[00:00:47] The victim's son later arrived home and his mother told him what happened.
[00:00:52] After she'd learned she'd been scammed, the incident was reported to police.
[00:00:57] With the advent of AI, impersonation scams are growing and the Federal Trade Commission says imposter scams were the most popular type of scams in 2022.
[00:01:07] Victims lost $11 million on the phone.
[00:01:11] The names and addresses of sex offenders in most states are public information.
[00:01:16] The information is often posted on websites and scammers are now calling those offenders saying they missed appointments and must pay a fine or be sent back to jail.
[00:01:26] It has happened in Baltimore but also in Omaha, Nebraska.
[00:01:30] WOT reports.
[00:01:56] The sheriff's deputy Adam Arco monitors 330 sex offenders in Sarpie County and one of them, a woman, reported a call from a phony cop claiming she missed a DNA swab.
[00:02:14] The last person I fell for it was $2,500 and they claimed it was for a bond and she went to a Bitcoin machine in Omaha to send the money.
[00:02:25] Paying a bogus bond through Bitcoin or various cash cards are what sex offenders are being told to stay out of prison.
[00:02:33] Damn, I was scared. I was scared that I was going to have someone come to my house, arrest me and take me back to prison for something that I didn't even know was going to go on.
[00:02:42] The state patrol manages the registry and tells me about six sex offenders complained that arrest warrant scammers targeted them.
[00:02:50] Even though the registry doesn't list a phone number, there's plenty of information on there for scam artists to find one from the sex offender's date of birth, his exact address, even the car they drive.
[00:03:01] Sex offenders give a DNA sample when they first register so a threatening call claiming they missed a follow-up swab should be checked out.
[00:03:09] I've received dozens of calls from people on the registry in Starbuck County asking me if this was real because that's what I generally tell them is, hey, if you get a call, call me first.
[00:03:20] Before paying a bond, this sex offender called back the number.
[00:03:24] You are trying to call has been disconnected.
[00:03:27] So the sex offender didn't lose money but says he easily could have out of fear of losing his freedom again with the threat of being sent back to prison.
[00:03:36] A Nigerian politician has been caught up in a scheme to convince a man to come to their city and receive payment for an organ donation for his daughter, according to the newspaper The Guardian.
[00:03:47] Three people are accused of conspiring to arrange or facilitate the travel of a man to exploit him for his kidney. They denied the charge.
[00:03:57] The 21-year-old street trader from Lagos was allegedly offered up to $8,000 in the promise of a better life in the UK in exchange for giving a kidney to one of the scammers.
[00:04:08] It's illegal to pay for or coerce a person into donating an organ.
[00:04:13] Hospitals refused to do the surgery because the match was incompatible and when caught by police, the scammers denied any payments were made or promised.
[00:04:22] The kidney recipient said her father admitted to sponsoring a medical visa for the man to travel to London for the donation.
[00:04:29] He told the court his family was advised to lie to London's free royal hospital and that the man was Sonya's cousin.
[00:04:36] This is Scams and Cons News.
[00:04:39] A teacher preparing to retire was scammed out of $200,000 as she was preparing to buy a new home.
[00:04:48] Fox 31 in Denver explains.
[00:04:51] The second Vicki, not only do you not get the house, you have nothing left. You have nothing left.
[00:04:56] Vicki Ragle, a middle school teacher of 42 years.
[00:04:59] As a single mom, I raised two kids. There was never money.
[00:05:02] And her daughter Sarah, a traveling nurse, were excited to be buying their dream townhouse to live together in Lakewood.
[00:05:08] On a Wednesday they told me that they needed the funds within 48 hours or the house wouldn't happen.
[00:05:15] But two days later when they headed to the title company to get the keys to their new place.
[00:05:19] A man at the very end, the title lady said, well let me go check on your funds.
[00:05:23] And she came in and she said, where'd you send the funds to?
[00:05:26] And I said, I sent them to you and she said we don't have them.
[00:05:29] And gone. They're gone.
[00:05:32] Vicki says the $198,000 was sent to fraudsters.
[00:05:36] I think we walked out of there and I threw up. That was a matter of fact.
[00:05:39] I mean I pretty much had to carry you out of the title company.
[00:05:43] Who posed as their realtor, title company and lender.
[00:05:46] The emails she says were nearly identical.
[00:05:49] At some point the chain of emails got hacked and I started getting fraudulent emails.
[00:05:56] Didn't recognize them as fraudulent emails.
[00:05:59] The duo reporting the fraud to Lakewood police, CBI and FBI who tell us tonight this is called business email compromise.
[00:06:06] And in 2022 in Colorado the FBI received 504 complaints of BEC costing victims nearly $54 million.
[00:06:15] This was warned to always carefully examine the email address and spelling,
[00:06:19] obtain wiring money instructions verbally on a trusted phone number
[00:06:23] and never change a bank account from instructions sent to you via email, text or fax.
[00:06:28] I don't know what I'm gonna do if you want to know the truth.
[00:06:31] I don't know. We'll make it. We'll forget it, figure it out somehow.
[00:06:37] Drivers in Washington state are falling prey to a gold jewelry scam.
[00:06:42] FOX 13 in Seattle tells the story.
[00:06:45] Washington State Patrol says one driver reported $10,000 was stolen from him in this gold scam.
[00:06:53] Troopers say this has been happening for years across the nation
[00:06:57] and investigators believe a group of men are currently behind the scams in King and Snohomish counties.
[00:07:03] This is Fools Gold, worthless jewelry that deceptively seems valuable.
[00:07:08] Its debate thieves are using to hustle people out of their money happening on highways and off ramps statewide.
[00:07:15] Don't stop for these individuals.
[00:07:17] Washington State Trooper Rick Johnson says thieves are parking on highway shoulders or off ramps
[00:07:22] and stepping out into traffic flagging down drivers.
[00:07:25] Once someone pulls over, Johnson says the suspects run their scheme.
[00:07:29] Well dressed in a higher end rental car saying they need money to get back home to, one was to Miami or to wherever it is
[00:07:38] and in exchange for the money to help them get home, they'll have you hold onto this gold
[00:07:43] and one individual said we'll send you back twice as much as what you're giving us.
[00:07:51] Johnson says the suspects eventually convinced the drivers to take them to a bank or ATM to withdraw cash.
[00:07:57] Some people taking out several thousands of dollars, not realizing the transaction is actually a ripoff.
[00:08:04] In the past two weeks one for $10,000, one for $4,000 and one for $1,000.
[00:08:09] In the past two weeks, Washington State Patrol says three people in King County reported the scam at these locations
[00:08:16] but Johnson believes there may be a lot more victims out there who aren't reporting the crime.
[00:08:21] Because they feel like I can't believe I got taken by this.
[00:08:25] The insiders said Southwest Airlines apologized to a man on Twitter after user Trend Ready, who goes by Paul,
[00:08:32] alleged the passengers were using wheelchairs they didn't need to board the Southwest flight first
[00:08:38] and attached a photo of a row of passengers lined up to board.
[00:08:42] Quote, 20 passengers boarding using a wheelchair and probably only three needed one to deplane.
[00:08:49] Paul wrote in a tweet that he has garnered more than 300 responses including those from the airline itself.
[00:08:56] Southwest said, since many disabilities aren't visible, we are unable to question the validity of pre-boarding requests.
[00:09:04] We appreciate your feedback and hope to create a more pleasant memory next time.
[00:09:09] Another Twitter user who identified themselves as a traveler with disabilities said unnecessary wheelchair requests had caused them delays.
[00:09:18] Quote, I actually have to wait sometimes up to 45 minutes for them to get my wheelchair and have often missed my connection.
[00:09:26] People who really need wheelchairs are impacted by those who don't.
[00:09:30] This is Scams and Cons News.
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