South Brunswick police are warning the public about three recent frauds. Two suspects reportedly defrauded a 90- year-old woman on Sept. 15 after telling her she won $3 million from Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes, according to Police Lt. James Ryan.
The suspect allegedly told the victim there was a $500 fee in order to get the sweepstakes and that she needed to get Green Dot money cards. The victim, who has dementia, said she could not drive. The suspects agreed to have a taxi sent to her home and, a half-hour later, two males arrived at the victim’s residence, police said. They came in what may have been a black Lincoln Town Car and drove the victim to Walgreens. The two males spoke to the victim in English but spoke in a foreign language to each other.
Police have released surveillance footage of one of the suspects, who walked the victim into the store and assisted in completing the transaction to purchase the Green Dot cards.
Anyone with information should call Detective Ken Herman at 732-329-4000, ext. 7475.
Police have handled five cases in the past month where phony IRS agents have demanded money from local residents.
The most recent case occurred on Sept. 25. A 77-year-old man received a phone call from an individual who said he was an “agent” from the IRS. The suspect told the man that the IRS had a warrant for his arrest for failing to pay $5,000 in past taxes. The agent directed the man to get $5,000 in Green Dot cards and wait for further instructions.
The man purchased the Green Dot cards, and the suspect called him back. The suspect had the man read the Green Dot numbers over the phone, allowing the agent to get the money.
As officers were taking the report to document the fraud, the phony IRS agent called back again, police said. The person attempted to get an additional $15,000 from the victim. The officer questioned the agent, at which time the person hung up. Officers believe the suspect was using a voice override to alter the number the call was coming from. Indications were the fraud might have originated out of country.
Police said the IRS has also been alerted to a new email phishing scam.
The emails appear to be from the IRS and include a link to a bogus website intended to mirror the official IRS website. The emails contain the direction, “You are to update your IRS e-file immediately.” Taxpayers who get the messages should not respond to the email or click on the links. Instead, they should forward the scam emails to the IRS at phishing@ irs.gov.
The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email, texting or any social media.
Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said these criminals target some of the most trustworthy and vulnerable people in the community.
“We can only stop these frauds if we all work together to watch over our elderly neighbors, friends and family,” he said.