Community Corner
POLICE: Swindlers Scam Residents
One female resident was scammed out of money, and a second outsmarted the scammer and hung up the phone
Two residents of Lansdale Borough were subjected to fraud cases on the same day.
Police said on March 25, at 2:12 p.m., they received a report of a possible Craigslist fraud.
The 25-year-olf female of the 300 block of Susquehanna Avenue, applied for what she thought was a legitimate job advertised on Craigslist, police said.
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The job was for a bookkeeper at 15 to 20 hours a week at $400 per week.
The victim said the person that gave her the job was from the United Kingdom and all communication was done through email, police said.
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Police said the victim was instructed to deposit a cashier's check for $3,200, which was mailed to her, into her own personal bank account, keep $400 for herself as a payment and wire the rest via Western Union to various places in the United Kingdom.
The woman did as she was instructed, police said. After the money was sent, the victim's bank notified her that the check was fraudulent and the bank froze her account as a result, police said.
In the meantime, the victim received a second check for $2,800 from her "boss," which she did not attempt to cash, police said.
The next day, at 6:31 p.m., police received a report of a possible fraud case that occurred on March 25.
The 47-year-old female victim, a resident of the 900 block of Derstine Avenue, told police she received a call from a man claiming to be a Lansdale Police officer.
She told police the man promied to give a $20 donation to the police department, and asked for the victim's credit card so he could close out the account, police said.
The woman hung up the phone, and checked the number. Police said it was identified as "Unknown Caller."
Chief Robert McDyre said the Lansdale Police does not solicit money from residents.
Police advise all residents to be wary of the Craigslist scam on the Internet, which is becoming more prevalent. Residents should never draw money from their banks until after a check clears.
Residents must immediately report any such fraudulent calls to the police at (215) 368-1801.
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