The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office was recently contacted by a man who fell victim to a scam targeting members of the military.

The victim says he was approached in a parking lot by a man who claimed he was former military and needed assistance with money until his bank card (in this case Navy Federal Credit Union) arrived. The scammer stated he would need the victim to transfer money from the victim’s NFCU account and he would then transfer the money back to the victim through Apple Pay.

The victim offered to help the man and asked him for his account number, at which point the scam artist took his phone saying he would enter the account number. The scammer took several minutes, during which time the victim later discovered he had accessed the victim’s account and applied for a loan through the account without the victim's knowledge.

The victim said that at a certain point, he began fearing for his or her safety, and went along with the scammer's request until he or she could get away.

The victim stated that after a few minutes, he found out the man had turned on notifications for the loan process, completed the process without the victim's knowledge, and was able to send money from the victim’s Navy Federal Credit Union account to his (the scammer's) account using Cash App.

The victim lost $3,500.

For awareness purposes, we wanted to make sure to spread the word about this scam.

The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Consumer Protection Unit asks that you be mindful of who you are exchanging money with and reminds you to never share your account information with people you don’t know.

If you've been subjected to a scam attempt like this, please contact the Norfolk Sheriff's Office's Consumer Protection Unit to file a report.

File a Fraud Report

From WAVY-TV 10:

The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office said they are seeing phone scams more often, and now scammers are using the latest and greatest technology to swindle money.

“It’s heartbreaking to see (that) people do get taken advantage of because they are well-intentioned people,” said Cpt. Mike Imprevento, officer in charge of the Consumer Protection Unit.

The first scam is a man who identifies himself as Lt. Dan Glade with the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office.

The person over the phone said you have a warrant for your arrest or a fine for failing to go to court.

The scammer said you can resolve it by purchasing a MoneyPak from Green Dot Bank.

In reality, it’s all a lie.

“The whole MoneyPak card is a big red flag,” Imprevento said. “The fact that it’s purchased at specific locations like Food Lion that’s a red flag.”

That’s not the only way scammers are trying to get money.

“You might receive a call your son or grandson was in a car accident and arrested for DUI,” Imprevento said. “They actually have another person involved that calls and makes believe they are a lawyer and that you have to pay the bail money.”

He said artificial intelligence is making it easier to make the story believable

“They know from Facebook, they know from social media, they know sometimes from identity theft (and) they know who you are and who your family is,” Imprevento said. “It sounds scary but they know just enough to pique your interest.”

He said you’ll never receive a call from an official agency like that.

“You’ll never be contacted in this way by the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office or any official agency of the state or federal government. It simply doesn’t happen,” he said.

Imprevento said the activity is being traced back to Eastern Europe, which makes it hard to track down the caller and prosecute them.

As a reminder, the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office will never call residents an ask for money and does not use MoneyPak as a form of payment.

Here are a few tips to help residents avoid falling victim to this scam:

• Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.
• Government agencies will never contact you demanding payment with a MoneyPak card.
• Never give your MoneyPak card number or receipt information to someone you don’t know.

Victims of this scam are advised to report it to the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office at https://norfolk-sheriff.com/fraudwatch.

Read the original story ->

The Norfolk Sheriff's Office has been notified that some Norfolk residents are receiving phone calls from a man identifying himself as Lieutenant Dan Glade with the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office. The man, who is not an employee of the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office, is telling citizens they have a warrant(s) for their arrest and need to purchase a Money Pak card for $500 and bring them to the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office to avoid being arrested. The number showing up on the Caller ID is not a number associated with the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office.

THIS IS A SCAM.

As a reminder, the Norfolk Sheriff's Office will never call asking for money and will never utilize MoneyPak cards as a form of payment.

Here are a couple of tips to help residents avoid falling victim to this scam:
• Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.
• Never give card number and/or receipt information from your MoneyPak purchase to someone you don’t know or share that information by email or phone.
• Remember, government agencies will never contact you demanding immediate payment using a MoneyPak card

Please continue to remain vigilant about these scams and please don’t send any money to these callers. If you have been a victim of a scam or would like to report a scam, please report it the NSO Consumer Protection Unit at this link, https://norfolk-sheriff.com/fraudwatch.

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The Norfolk Sheriff's Office is a values driven organization
committed to public safety, public service, and public trust.