A Letter from Chief Ron Dziezgowski est Jefferson Hills BOROUGH OF JEFFERSON HILLS LIBRARY NEWS NEWS
CHIEF RON DZIEZGOWSKI
The Jefferson Hills Police Department ( JHPD ) would like to alert our community of a more frequent scam that is being widely used by criminal organizations to solicit and steal thousands of dollars from unwitting individuals who are being targeted via a phone call . In most cases , the victims being targeted are the more senior population . This criminal scheme originates with a targeted victim receiving a phone call from the scammer , who identifies themselves as either a law enforcement officer with a warrant for their arrest or a family member who is in jail and needs bailed out . The theme of the call is that immediate cash is needed to settle the warrant or for use as bail money .
These phone calls can be quite traumatizing for the victim , causing a great deal of fear and anxiety about possible arrest due to the urgency portrayed by the caller . To further legitimize the call , scammers are using current technology to disguise their actual phone number , which can display any other number on a victim ’ s caller ID . In these cases , victims have reported that they received an actual law enforcement agency phone number on their caller ID when they were being scammed . Further investigation has shown that scammers are using Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) technology to alter or computer-generate voices over the phone that have a similarity to a victim ’ s family member , which preys on their emotions . This is all a scheme to conceal the actual criminal scam being perpetrated .
While playing on the emotions of the victim and to complete the theft of money , the scammer instructs the victim to withdraw random denominations of money from their bank ( usually $ 1,000 to $ 50,000 ). The victim is then instructed to go to multiple money machines ( i . e ., Coinstar ) and convert the cash into cryptocurrency using a phone app ( i . e . Coin app ) to pay the fines . Once the victim completes the multiple transactions as instructed , they start to realize they were victimized when they were unable to obtain a receipt for the transaction or any confirmation of where their money was sent .
The victim makes every attempt to confirm the transaction with the alleged law enforcement agency they believe contacted them . However , when the victim contacts that law enforcement agency , they determine quickly that they were scammed , and that agency never made the call . When the crime is reported to the local police agency , the victim usually has very little information to provide officers that will assist with the investigation .
BE AWARE OF SCAMMERS
With these types of calls and criminal activity increasing , it is important that our residents and business owners understand the following :
• Law enforcement agencies , which include the JHPD , will never request payment of any kind over the phone to settle a warrant or any bail obligations .
• Law enforcement agencies , which include the JHPD , will never request payments be made in the form of cryptocurrency or direct you to use any type of payment cash app or kiosk .
• Criminal organizations are utilizing the latest technology to be able to disguise their phone numbers ( called “ spoofing ”) or create voices that sound like a victim ’ s family member using Artificial Intelligence ( AI ). ( Spoofing is the act of disguising a communication from an unknown source as being from a known , trusted source . Spoofing can apply to emails , phone calls , websites , etc .)
• Once a victim has converted their money to cryptocurrency or deposited it in non-regulated money machines , it is highly unlikely that law enforcement can recover those funds .
I feel strongly that if the JHPD continues to highlight these types of scams , it will prevent our residents and business owners from becoming victims of these criminal schemes . If you ever receive a suspicious phone call and are concerned about the legitimacy of the caller , hang up the phone and call 911 immediately to request to speak with a JHPD officer about the incident . You should never follow the directions of anyone who demands cash or any other financial payment from you . Additionally , it is imperative that you never provide personal information ( i . e . Social Security Numbers , Date of Birth , Bank Accounts , Passwords , etc .) to any non-trusted source . Finally , make every attempt to check your credit history on an annual basis to help identify any fraudulent activity that may have occurred . For more information on how to check your credit history , visit https :// www . ftc . gov /.
I hope this helps keep you , your financial well-being , and your sensitive information safe and secure . The JHPD stands ready to serve you .
God Bless !
Chief Ron Dziezgowski
52 WEST JEFFERSON HILLS