Locals Fall Victim To Web Scams
CAROL A. CLARK Monitor County Editor

Despite repeated warnings from law enforcement, residents of Los Alamos County continue to fall prey to unscrupulous Internet con artists. In recent weeks, several residents have been duped out of a few thousand dollars each, according to detectives from the Los Alamos Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division (CID).

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"The definition of 'Internet crime' is any illegal activity involving websites, chat rooms or e-mail," Det. Shari Mills said. "It's a crime to use the Internet to communicate fraudulent information, business or employment opportunity schemes, hacking activities, non-delivery of services and goods, and advance-fee schemes."

A recent e-mail scam claims that the sender is from Long Well Textile Limited in London. A condensed version of the con is as follows:

"Here is a great opportunity to work from home and get paid weekly with little or no stress. Your task is to coordinate customer payments and help with the payment process ... customers prefer to pay through U.S. certified cheques and U.S. money orders ... your task is to receive those payments, which will be 'issued' to you. You keep 10 percent. On a $3,000 payment, you keep $300 and send us $2,700 by Western Union money transfer ... so we get our money almost immediately."

The problem is that $3,000 check is bogus. You must reimburse your bank the $2,700 that you transferred to the swindler.

"The basic rule is never, ever cash a check for somebody else," Det. Sgt. DeWayne Williams said. "If they can't cash it, there's something wrong, and never forward 'excess money' to anybody either."

Residents call or enter police headquarters almost daily to report they've been scammed, Williams said.

"The types of scams out there are endless," he said. "Of the hundreds of thousands of e-mails these scam artists send out, literally hundreds of people fall for it."

Williams described five scams affecting residents:

1. When selling something over the net and someone wants to send you a check for more than the purchase amount, regardless of what they want you to do with the excess money - it is a scam.
   
2. If someone from an e-mail or a chat room wants to send a check so you can cash it for them - it is a scam.
   
3. If you are sent an e-mail from your 'bank' or 'credit card company' asking for your account number or other personal information - it is a scam.
   
4. If you are solicited for the business of cashing checks for a foreign business, retaining a percentage, and forwarding the balance to a third party - it is a scam.
   
5. If you receive notification that you won a prize, especially if you didn't enter the contest, and you're instructed to send a check to cover shipping and handling or for any other reason - it is a scam.

Williams cautions the public to stay vigilant to con artists, adding that they contact potential victims through the Internet, telephone, fax, mail and in-person.

In New Mexico, victims lose an average $3,210 per scam, according to the AG's website.

The Attorney General's office is educating against Internet crime. According to its website, the office receives thousands of inquiries annually and as new scams are reported, they are posted on the AG's website.

Attorney General Gary King alerted the public July 13 to a death-threat e-mail scam. The country of origin is unknown, but e-mail users nationwide reported receiving death threats via e-mail.

The sender claims to be contracted to assassinate the recipient. The recipient is told they are being watched and not to contact police. In exchange for money, the receiver has the "chance to live." Recipients are instructed to e-mail their credit card number(s) to the sender.

King advises recipients to delete this e-mail immediately. He also asks recipients of this or other scams to notify his office at 800-678-1508.

To receive scam e-mail alerts, email publicinformationoff@ago.state.nm.us

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