Beware hacking on video game systems

Our Fraud Unit has investigated several cases in recent days involving video game systems. Users of cloud-based video game systems like X-Box and Play Station 3 have reported that their credit card information is being stolen from these devices. Victims have entered and stored their credit card information on these game systems to purchase games and other items and then found out someone else had hacked in and was using their credit card fraudulently. This has happened to video game users whose game systems are connected to the internet both with a wire line and wirelessly.

This is a nationwide problem (see this article from PC Magazine) and one that will require gamers to practice extra vigilance to protect their information.

To prevent becoming a victim of this technology-based crime, consider the following:

• Don’t tell anyone your user password or identification numbers.

• Do not store your credit or debit card number on the system or in an “account.” If your intentions are to use your credit or debit card number then make the entry for each purchase individually and do not store the number in the system or an account.

• Remain anonymous. Question the need to use your real identity, especially identifying information such as a date of birth or social security number.

• If you feel you have been a victim of a financial crime as a result of any type of “hacking,” or if your personal or financial information has been compromised, notify your financial institutions immediately.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.

Fraud Unit warns of "tabnabbing"

Our Fraud Unit wants to get information out about an emerging trend in computer scams. It's called "tabnabbing" or "tabnapping." It occurs when victims are online and have multiple browsing tabs open (a feature in newer Internet browsers). If victims happen to open a tab with a fraudulent site, hackers can view, copy or open the information in the other tab.

For example, say you're checking your bank statement online and remember that you wanted to check movie times. You leave the tab with your bank information open and open a second tab to search for movie times. You could end up on a site posing as a legitimate entertainment site, but it's really run by a hacker. That hacker can then break into the other tab you have open and steal your banking information, user names and passwords. More information is available in this article from CNET.

Fortunately, KCPD has not received any reports of this scam, but we wanted to let you know about it so you won't be a victim. Our Fraud Unit recommends anyone conducting financial transactions on the Internet to only have the secure financial site open, on a single tab, as the transactions are being conducted.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.

When obtaining services online, buyer beware

I saw a recent police report of a Northland man who stopped by one of our stations to report he'd been scammed by someone he hired from Craigslist. The man said he was looking for someone to do some work on his house and found someone on the online classified site. He met up with a man on October 4, who asked for $250 in payment up front for the work. The victim paid him, but the man never came back to do the work, and he won't return the victim's phone calls.

The internet has opened up a whole new world to scammers everywhere. To keep from getting scammed when hiring someone for a service, it's best to use some tried and true methods. Ask them for references of past jobs they've done. If they're reputable and really want your business, they'll gladly give them to you. Also, you can check with the Secretary of State to see if they're registered as a business and not some fly-by-night scam artist. Here's the link to the Missouri Secretary of State's business search web site.

Many legitimate contractors will ask for money up front to buy supplies and/or secure a deposit (although asking for the entire sum of the job up front is unusual, but not necessarily a sign of scamming). The rub with a lot of these cases is that they're considered a civil matter. To prosecute such a case criminally, we must prove the intent to deprive or deceive without any doubt. In a case like the aforementioned one, even if the two parties had agreed on a date in writing when the work was to be done, and it wasn't done by that date, a prosecutor could consider it a civil matter. So to save yourself time, money, and hassle, do your homework in advance before hiring anyone you find online or anywhere else.

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Beware the "Grandson Scam"

On Saturday, Oct. 23, an 84-year-old Northland woman became another victim of what our Fraud Unit is calling “The Grandson Scam.” She is the 16th person in Kansas City so far this year to fall prey to this fraud.

The woman received a call from someone who identified himself as her grandson. He told her he was in Canada and had been in a car accident. He asked her to wire him money to pay for the damage to the vehicles. He then handed the phone to someone he said was his lawyer. The woman wired almost $3,000 to what she thought was Canada, but the money was picked up in the United Kingdom. Later that day, she got a call from her real grandson, who said he was not in Canada and hadn’t asked for money.

Fraud Sergeant Rob Rickett said this scam typically involves the elderly and a scammer claiming to be a grandson or other relative who is in trouble in another country or stuck in jail and in need of bond money. The scammers will often call in the middle of the night, making the victims hesitant to call anyone to confirm the story for fear of waking people up. Victims can think they’re wiring the money to a U.S. city, but anyone anywhere in the world can pick up the money with a confirmation number. Most of this money in the Kansas City-based cases has been picked up in Canada or the United Kingdom. These scammers are incredibly difficult to find, and some countries will not allow them to be extradited for prosecution.

Please be cautious if you ever get a phone call from a relative or others claiming to be in trouble and needing money wired to them. Verify their claims. Ask for a phone number to return the call. Warn the elderly people you know about this scam, as well, as they seem to be some of the biggest targets.


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DirecTV scam

I wanted to let you know about a scam involving two people who are impersonating DirecTV salespersons. On the afternoon of July 3 in the 1200 block of E. 80th St., a black man in his 40s and a black female in her teens showed up at the door of a house. The man was wearing a yellow tie with a dress shirt and shorts and had a DirecTV badge. The girl had purple hair and a lazy eye.

The duo offered the woman who lived in the house a package of satellite TV, internet and phone for $101. The victim thought it sounded like a good deal, so she signed up for it and paid them, and they gave her a copy of the order form. The man and teenager said a technician would show up the morning of July 5 to install the satellite, but no technician ever came.

Police examined the order form the suspects had provided the victim and called DirecTV. DirecTV personnel advised them that the order number was valid, but it was for another person in another state. They said the man and girl that showed up at the victim's door were fraudulently impersonating DirecTV salespeople. Residents have since said they have seen the suspects' gray Dodge Durango continuing to drive around the neighborhood.

Always be leery of someone coming to your door trying to sell you something. In this case, the suspect even counterfeited a DirecTV badge. If you do not feel comfortable or think it might be a scam, call police.

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Beware fraudulent contractors claiming your roof is damaged

We've recently received several reports from the National Insurance Crime Bureau of unethical roofing contractors trying to drum up business in fraudulent ways. Three of these incidents have taken place in our jurisdiction of Kansas City, Mo., but many others have happened throughout the KC metropolitan area. We want to warn you to be on the lookout for this and to contact your homeowners' insurance company if you think you've been a victim.

The fraud works like this: contractors go door-to-door trying to convince homeowners that their roofs are damaged and in need of repair. In some cases, the scammers actually go on the roofs of houses and damage them intentionally so they need to be fixed. Investigators said the contractors are doing anything possible to convince the homeowners their roofs are damaged. Not knowing better, the homeowners contact their insurance companies and file claims. The scammers are trying to reap the rewards of insurance fraud, which is a felony.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) investigates fraudulent reports by looking for things like odd patterns of hail damage claims in the winter. Your insurance company should be aware of this scam by now, so please call them if you think you've dealt with a fraudulent contractor. The NICB will work to coordinate your information with our Fraud Unit, which is investigating the scam now.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

How to spot counterfeit bills

There have been some recent news reports about counterfeit $20 bills showing up at a Wal-Mart in Lee's Summit. If you're worried about you or your business unknowingly accepting fake cash, I urge you to check out our Forgery Section's web page. It has lots of tips on how to pick out a counterfeit and pictures of genuine versus counterfeit U.S. currency. Authorities aren't sure how wide-spread this particular counterfeiting operation is in the metro area, but it's best to know how to identify a fake so you don't end up short on real cash.

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Beware scams involving Haiti relief

The FBI has issued a reminder to Internet users to be cautious of online apppeals for financial assistance in the wake of the Haitian earthquake. It seems almost unthinkable that someone would use such an awful tragedy for their own personal gain, but past disasters have prompted inviduals with criminal intent to solicit contributions while posing as a charity. The FBI recommends the following:

* Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages.

* Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.

* Verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming the group’s existence and its nonprofit status rather than following a purported link to the site.

* Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.

* Make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf to ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes.

* Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions: Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.

For more information, go to our Fraud Unit's page.

Don't be discouraged, though, because there are plenty of real charities doing amazing work in Haiti right now who could use your assistance. The Kansas City Star has a good piece on how to help those in Haiti through legitimate organizations.

Send comments to kcpdchief@kcpd.org.

Beware Census scammers

While we have not yet received any reports of this in Kansas City, I wanted to give everyone a heads-up that the Better Business Bureau has warned scammers might take the opportunity, during the 2010 Census, to attempt to steal victims' personal information. All citizens are encouraged to use caution when releasing any personal information to anyone. The Census may be taken by mail, telephone, or a personal visit. According to the BBB:

• If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don’t know into your home.

• Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census. While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, it will not ask for Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers nor will employees solicit donations.

• Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail or in person at home. However, they will not contact you by e-mail, so be on the look out for e-mail scams impersonating the Census. Never click on a link or open any attachments in an e-mail that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.

For more information, check our Fraud Unit web page or the Better Business Bureau.

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Utility scam

Scammers just aren't letting up on area residents. Last month, we warned you of a scam in which crooks called people and claimed they worked for the Kansas City, Mo., Water Department. The scammers say the residents either didn’t sign their checks or didn’t pay their bill at all and will be charged a hefty fee unless payment is made over the phone. The scammer then asks for a credit or debit card number to satisfy the amount due.

Now, scammers are claiming to be from other utility companies, including Missouri Gas Energy. Once they get account numbers, they make fraudulent transactions on the accounts.

Utility companies DO NOT call customers asking for payment information by phone. Never give out your personal or financial information to someone who initiates contact with you. If you believe you are a victim of this scam, call police, and do the following:

* Notify your financial institutions.
* Notify the three major credit bureaus.
* Obtain copies of your bank and/or credit statements to see if any fraudulent activity has taken place.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

Police warn of scammer claiming to be from Water Department

Kansas City Police are warning residents to be wary of a scam in which suspects claiming to be with the Kansas City, Mo., Water Services Department call victims and ask for account numbers.

The South Patrol Division alone has had five cases in the past week, and the Fraud Section is investigating about a dozen.

The scam involves someone calling residents, claiming to work for the Kansas City Missouri Water Department. The scammer says the residents either didn’t sign their checks or didn’t pay their bill at all and will be charged a fee of $40 unless payment is made over the phone. The scammer then asks for a credit or debit card number to satisfy the amount due. Some victims reported that the caller was female.

While some people have fallen victim to the scheme, detectives said others have not. Some have checked their check duplicates to ensure they signed, others said they didn’t pay by check at all and one couple checked with their bank to see that the check had cleared and hung up on the caller. Unfortunately, others have lost as much as $900.

The Kansas City Water Services Department offers the following tips to avoid becoming a victim of this scam:

- If the City contacts you, the caller ID will never be blocked.
- Customers can call 3-1-1 anytime to verify any solicitation regarding City water services.
- Waiving of fees or "special deals" are never offered.
- City employees always wear ID badges and will give you the name and number of their supervisor when asked.
- Customers should call 311 (or 911 if in an emergency situation) to report concerns.
- Customers should never give, to anyone who initiates contact with you, your credit card number, bank account number, date of birth, social security number or water account number.
- Customers should not send cash, check or money order by messenger or overnight mail, when asked to by a telephone seller or caller you do not know.
- Customers should never provide personal information over the phone, through the mail or over the Internet, unless you initiated the transaction and you know the person or institution receiving the information.

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Beware ATM skimming

Our Fraud Unit has been investigating some cases of skimmers used at ATMs in the Kansas City area. Skimmers are small devices placed directly on top of an ATM’s card-reading device. They’re designed to copy account information on the back of credit/debit cards when card holders conduct financial transactions at the ATM. Crooks must later physically remove the skimmers to download the stolen financial information. They can then use that information to steal money from a victim’s account or make fraudulent purchases.

The pictures above are of skimming devices discovered here. The photo on the top shows a normal ATM without a skimming device attached. The middle photo shows a clear, green, plastic skimmer attached to the card port. The photo on the bottom shows a different type of skimming device attached to the ATM’s card port.

Skimmers were designed for legitimate businesses to use to conduct credit and debit card transactions, but they can lead to theft if they fall into the wrong hands. They can look like they belong on ATMs, and the best way to tell if an illegal skimmer is present is to be observant. If you use the same ATM often, take note of what it looks like. If the card port looks different than normal, contact the bank as soon as possible. Also, keep a close eye on your financial statements for any purchases you didn’t make. If you see anything amiss, call police and report it to your bank immediately.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

Beware of rental scam

Our Fraud Unit is starting to see more of a disturbing scam that is bilking renters and property owners alike, and we want the public to be aware of it so you can ensure your rental agreements are legitimate.

The scam starts with legitimate property owners posting a for-rent listing on real estate web sites or community bulletin board-type sites. Bad guys take the information from the ad and then repost it with their own contact information. Potential tenants end up contacting the bad guys instead of the real property owners. The bad guys arrange for the victims to actually move into the home and collect a deposit and rent from them. When the real landlord shows up to check on property they assume is vacant, they are surprised to find someone living there. The victims tell the legitimate landlord that they signed a contract and paid rent by cash or check to the individual who leased them the property originally. When the property owner contacts the police to find the fake landlord, the bad guy is long gone – with the tenants’ money. So the real property owner is stuck with tenants who aren’t paying them any rent, and the tenants could face being evicted from their home through no fault of their own.

We’ve received reports of these fake landlords breaking windows to get into homes and changing locks so they can show them to potential tenants as if they were the real owners. Some victims have reported that they showed up at a rental house, and the scammer claimed to have forgotten the key and only showed them pictures of what the inside of the house was supposed to look like. Yet the victims still agreed to rent the property.

To avoid being scammed like this, our Fraud Unit offers the following tips:

* Deal only with reputable rental or real estate agencies.
* Sign any contracts at an office, not in the front yard of the rental residence.
* Don’t trust everything you see on the Internet. Have a healthy skepticism about deals that could be potential scams.
* Property owners should check on their properties regularly or hire someone to do so if they don’t live in the area.
* Report any suspicious behavior to the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

E-mail hoax

We've received some inquiries about the below e-mail going around, and we want to assure everyone that it is a hoax. We have no record of this happening to anyone anywhere around here. The e-mail subject line is typically something like "safety alert per Kansas City Police Department" or "new way to be carjacked." The KCPD did not issue any such warning to anyone in a newsletter or any other form of communication. We always encourage everyone to be safe by being aware of what's around them at all times, but this particular method of criminal behavior has not been reported, so the public should not be alarmed. Here's what one version of the e-mail says:

"Warning..!!!! Warning..!!!! Warning..!!!!
Just last weekend on Friday night we parked in a public parking area. As we drove away I noticed a sticker on the rear window of the car. When I took it off after I got home, it was a receipt for gas. Luckily my friend told me not to stop as it could be someone waiting for me to get out of the car Then we received this email yesterday (per KCPD newsletter)
WARNING FROM POLICE THIS APPLIES TO BOTH WOMEN AND MEN
BEWARE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE--
NEW WAY TO DO CARJACKINGS (NOT A JOKE)'

Heads up everyone! Please, keep this circulating.... You walk across the parking lot, unlock your car and get inside. You start the engine and shift into Reverse. When you look into the rearview mirror to back out of your parking space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the rear window. So, you shift into Park, unlock your doors, and jump out of your car to remove that paper (or whatever it is) that is obstructing your view. When you reach the back of your car, that is when the carjackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. They practically mow you down as they speed off in your car. And guess what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car. So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your money, and your keys. Your home and your whole identity are now compromised!

BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED.

If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just drive away. Remove the paper later. And be thankful that you read this e-mail. I hope you will forward this to friends and family, especially to women. A purse contains all kinds of personal information and identification documents, and you certainly do NOT want this to fall into the wrong hands.

Again, this is not true, so if the e-mail has come your way, disregard it.

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Text message scam

Since this past Friday, March 20, our Fraud Section has gotten numerous reports from people across the country who have received text messages claiming fraudulent activities have taken place on their bank accounts. The messages purport to come from the Kansas City Missouri Police Department or the Central Bank of Kansas City. This is a scam.

Fortunately, Sergeant Rob Rickett, supervisor of the Fraud Section, said he’s gotten no reports of anyone actually becoming a victim of the fraud, and we’re glad to see people are getting educated about these so-called phishing scams.

Here’s a report of what one woman said the message she received said:

“From: service@kccu.org
Message: Alert From K. C. Police / We apologize to inform you that we have locked your Debit card. For fast re-activation call us now at: 18597594140”

Another fraudulent text message looked like this:
“From: e.reff@centralbankkc.com
Message: Central Bank of Kansas City: VISA CARD LOCKED.CALLTOLL-FREE 888 666 1954”

Do not respond to these. As Sergeant Rickett says, “Banks and police departments do not discuss business by text messages.” If you have any questions for your particular bank, call them using the phone number provided on your bank statement or on the bank’s official Web site.

Send comments to: kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org