WESTMINSTER, MD (September 10, 2021) – Maryland State Police helped recover $12,000 for an apparent victim of a telephone scam in Carroll County.
At about 8:00 A.M. this morning, the elderly female victim arrived at the Maryland State Police Westminster Barrack to report that she believed she had been the victim of a scam. According to a preliminary investigation, the victim had been convinced to ship $12,000 in cash via FedEx to an address in Belmont, California. The scam originated from a telephone call the female received.
Using the information the victim brought to the barrack, a trooper tracked the package and contacted the FedEx Law Enforcement Liaison in California. The package containing the $12,000 was located and pulled from delivery. The money is being returned to the original victim.
Here are some tips to protect yourself from scams in general:
- Do not give out your personal information to someone you do not know
- Store personal information in a safe place
- Do not carry your social security card in your wallet
- Collect mail every day and put a hold on it during extended travel
- Use security features on your smartphone and computer
- Use complex passwords
Do not use gift cards to pay the IRS or Social Security, tech support, a family member in trouble, ransom or to avoid arrest or deportation or to prevent your utilities from being turned off.
Trust your instincts. If you think it might be a scam, it probably is one.
The case remains under investigation…
###
