Chief’s Corner
By Chief Steven J. Wojnar Dudley Police Department A variety of financial fraud “scams” continue to occur in our area. People can be asked to send money to various locations or provide personal or bank information. These can take place in person, on-line, over the phone, or by mail. As a result, many have lost large sums of money. In recent weeks, several people, including me, have been called by someone posing as a power company or motor vehicle warranty official. I wanted to provide once again everyone with some information on these illegal activities. Money and identity scams have been occurring for many years. Various types have taken place during this COVID-19 time. Those responsible prey on unsuspecting individuals, particularly seniors. Their goal is to obtain either quick cash or bank account numbers. Armed with this documentation, the criminal can commit identity theft and access your finances. Scammers can be well versed and prepared. Many do extensive on-line research, including checking obituaries, tax records, or other publicly available information prior to calling you. They may have the names of children, grandchildren, a deceased spouse, and a variety of other information, which they can use to intimidate or trick you. In this instance, an automated message plays informing the person they have been overcharged by their power company and they are due a refund. Others tell people their vehicle warranty is up, and they are eligible for renewal. The goal is to get you to engage with one of their “representatives” and provide personal information or send money. They most likely have little of the information they called you about and will ask you to provide it to “confirm” their records. The caller tends to become rude if they are questioned. This is a hoax. If it is legitimate, the caller should already have all the information and be able to provide phone numbers, addresses, etc. to you to confirm their legitimacy. Do not trust any of this business over the phone. You can follow up with your power company or car dealership. In addition, Social Security scams are also prevalent, especially during tax season. People can be told their number has been compromised or blocked. Callers threaten you with arrest or other penalties unless you divulge personal information or send some form of payment. No one is ever threatened over the phone by the Social Security Administration and our department has never arrested anyone on behalf of this agency. |
Please exercise caution and seek out help from trusted people (family member, bank, police, etc.) before taking any actions. If you receive unexpected requests for money or other personal information, assume it is a scam. Be very cognizant of these occurrences and protect your personal information. Report anything suspicious to the proper authorities.
As the pandemic continues, we ask everyone to stay safe and continue to take the necessary precautions to protect yourselves. For those eligible, vaccination information can find it at www.dudleyma.gov or by calling 508-949-8036. We continue to serve the people of Dudley and work with the community to improve the quality of life for everyone. I thank the men and women from my department for their continued dedicated service to the Town during these trying times. Thanks also go out to the many Police Officers, Fire and Emergency Services members, public works, health care, government officials, and all other “essential” personnel for their continued hard work and service. We greatly appreciate the support we receive from our community. Thanks again for your questions and comments. Please send them to me at the Dudley Police Department 71 West Main St., Dudley, Ma. 01571 or email at swojnar@dudleypolice.com. Opinions expressed in this weekly column are those of Chief Wojnar only and unless clearly noted, do not reflect the ideas or opinions of any other organization or citizen. |
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