Holiday internet scam
Date: December 11, 2006Source: southcoasttoday.com
A typical complaint landed on Major Donald LaMarr's desk last Wednesday: a New Bedford woman was out $1,708.32 because of a holiday Internet scam.
The woman, who is about 40 years old, had applied online for a $25,000 loan from an Iowa company. They e-mailed her and said to get the loan, she had to wire them $600.
She did.
Then they called her and said they had analyzed her credit; in order to process the loan, she would have to send another $1,000.
She did.
She never heard from the company again.
"Now this lady says she has no money for rent or for food. She's another victim," said Maj. LaMarr, a member of the Homeland Security Special Operations unit from the Bristol County Sheriff's Office.
"This is an offer she found on the Internet. I'm working with the Iowa police on this now."
He said this type of complaint is all too commonplace — especially during the holidays.
"Ever since Thanksgiving, I've been getting about five or six complaints a day from people in Bristol County," he said. "There are so many of these scams going on that the FBI can only look at cases over $1 million."
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