Lincoln woman squandered about $60,000 in online scam, police say
LINCOLN, Nebraska (Nebraska) – The Lincoln Police Department is investigating two separate cases of fraud. In one case, a woman lost nearly $60,000.
On Tuesday around noon, a 27-year-old man told police that he was talking to a woman he met on a dating app and did not know.
According to LPD, the man then received messages from a stranger who claimed to be the father of a woman he met on a dating app and that she was 15 years old.
Police said the man was then contacted by someone claiming to be a police sergeant who said the man needed to stop communicating with the woman on the app and pay $3,000 to keep the situation from coming to law enforcement.
The LPD stated that the man did not send money to the person posing as an LPD sergeant.
LPD officers will never contact residents and demand money or gift cards to avoid a warrant or trouble with law enforcement.
A few hours later, around 17:00, the police received a report of fraud from a 64-year-old woman.
According to police, she explained that she received an email warning about fraudulent payments from her Amazon account.
Police said she called the number listed in the email and the person on the line told her to go to the bank and transfer $58,000 to someone in California.
After the transfer, LPD said the woman called the man, who explained that she needed to go back to the bank and cancel the transaction.
LPD said that when the woman went to the bank to complete the request, the bank employees explained to her that it was a scam.
Avoid Scams
LPD reminds everyone that if you are contacted and someone is requesting that you make a payment or transfer funds, it is always a good idea to end the call, hang up and make an independent call to the company to verify the authenticity of the request.
Law enforcement said the scammers are persuasive and use tactics that may appear legitimate. If you’re feeling insecure, you can always hang up, review the information you’ve received, and reach out to someone you trust.
More: BBB Fraud Alert: The Best Tricks Used for Elderly Fraud
You can also reduce unwanted calls by registering your phone number with the National Don’t Call Registry at 1-888-382-1222 or at Donotcall.gov.
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