As the temperature goes down, it's become normal for scammers to try and exploit fear of being unable to heat their home to trick people into sending them money that the person being scammed doesn't actually owe.

The Consumer Protection Unit (CPU) at the Norfolk Sheriff's Office received a report from a Norfolk resident using our online form about an attempt by someone claiming to represent Dominion Energy to scam the person being targeted into sending them money. 

The caller, whose number came up as (757) 222-1746, stated that the person he'd called had missed two payments. The person targeted also mentioned that the caller had an accent. 

Although the person reporting the scam didn't elaborate, the normal behavior of these scammers is to then threaten the target with having their service cut off. This can obviously be frightening and often leads to the person being targeted deciding to make the payment rather than risk losing their service. 

Tip: ALWAYS be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.

The CPU wants residents in Norfolk to be aware of the proliferation of such scams, and that such an attempt had taken place.

Dominion Energy offers these tips on their website regarding scams involving their company:

Spot a scam: 

• Dominion Energy will never call to demand customers make immediate payment to avoid disconnection.

• Dominion Energy will never ask for payment using money orders, prepaid debit or gift cards.

• Dominion Energy employees will never request to enter a customer's home without proper identification, an appointment or a reported emergency. Additionally, employees do not ask for payment in person.

Outsmart a scammer: 

• Hang up. If you are unsure if a call is valid, even if Dominion Energy’s number shows on the caller ID, immediately hang up and never provide personal information.

• Verify. You can verify your account status, balances or due dates by signing into the Dominion Energy app, checking your account online, or by calling the number located on your energy bill.

• Ignore. Don’t respond to suspicious emails or text messages or click on links or attachments prompting energy bill payment.

• Report. Tell local authorities about suspicious calls, texts and emails.

If you've received a call like this, please please contact the Norfolk Sheriff's Office's Consumer Protection Unit to file a report.

File a Fraud Report

The officer-in-charge of our Consumer Protection Unit, Deputy Mike Imprevento, shared this account of a recent scam he was informed about:

I met with a father and daughter. The father is an elderly retired naval officer who was the subject of a phishing e-mail scam wherein the scammer persuaded the victim to fill out a form and ultimately initiate a wire transfer from his bank.

The elderly are very vulnerable to this. The way this scam worked is typical:

• The crime started as a series of phone calls from someone posing as an Amazon rep named “Eric Morrison” from a number which showed as (206) 614-0739.
• The caller stated that there was a charge on the victims Amazon account for $1000.00 for a “ IPhone” and when the victim denied the charge, the scammer stated that he would have to ask for a refund.
• Shortly thereafter the “refund” was facilitated by the appearance of a form on the victims computer (which was actually accessed by the scammer) wherein the “refund” would be requested. 
• This was a form which was doctored by the scammer to change the $1000.00 amount to $10,000.00 and the scammer stated that the excess $9000.00 refunded would cause him to be fired unless the victim wired the amount to another account. This allowed the conversion of the $9000.00 amount which was to a spoofed account, which the NSO is currently investigating.

The money was lost.

The common use of Amazon has allowed this scam to catch on. DO NOT EVER send money by wire under these circumstances and Amazon will never operate this way. NSO is notifying other federal and state agencies of this scam.

Deputy Michael F Imprevento
Staff Attorney
OIC Consumer Protection Unit
Norfolk Sheriff’s Office

Scammers may pose as a variety of persons who interact on social media and whenever you are asked for money by someone you do not know, ignore the request and report the interaction.

If you believe you have been a victim of a scheme to defraud you, please report it the NSO Consumer Protection Unit at this link, https://norfolk-sheriff.com/fraudwatch.

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica D. Aber recently announced that the third co-conspiritor in a scheme to defraud Navy personnel out of money had pled guilty to having committed the crime. The details are contained in the news release below.

A Newport News man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud Navy Federal Credit Union and its members out of money and property.

According to court documents, from approximately April to August 2021, Samari Smith, 20, conspired with at least four other people to commit credit union fraud by convincing account holders to withdraw and turnover funds to them under false pretenses. Smith and his coconspirators targeted sailors in the United States Navy on online dating applications like Tinder by posing as women interested in a romantic relationship. Smith and his co-conspirators asked the victimized Sailors to withdraw and turnover funds – often under the guise of helping a relative in the Navy who was trying to send them money.

Samari Smith was directly involved in defrauding four Sailors in the Navy who were then stationed in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, which caused more than $40,000 in fraud losses to these victims. Two co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty, including the leader of the conspiracy, Trequan Smith, 21, of Hampton and Emani Burton, 23, also of Hampton. The broader fraud conspiracy orchestrated by Trequan Smith victimized dozens of Sailors in the Navy and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars of fraud loss.

Samari Smith pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 27, 2023. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Trequan Smith pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison and a maximum penalty of 32 years in prison. Burton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and was sentenced to a term of one day of incarceration and three years of supervised release.

Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Tira A. Hayward, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division; and Frederick Franks, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen accepted the plea.

This case was investigated under the leadership and coordination of the Newport News Financial Crimes Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Mack Coleman is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 4:22-cr- 56, 4:21-cr-67, and 4:21-cr-68.

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Scammers may pose as a variety of persons who interact on social media and whenever you are asked for money by someone you do not know, ignore the request and report the interaction.

If you believe you have been a victim of a scheme to defraud you, please report it the NSO Consumer Protection Unit at this link, https://norfolk-sheriff.com/fraudwatch.