Last year, a box arrived at our office late in the day on a Friday afternoon (addressed to our former business name) with a delivery of 3 new iPhones and a billing invoice. We sourced the tracking number and called the cell provider, but they were unable to explain who or what originated this delivery.
Over the weekend, we received a voice message from “Frank”, asking if we received the phones, of which he said, “my friend sent a box to your office, and I’d like to pick it up for her on Monday”.
On Monday, Frank called and asked if we received the package “my friend sent for me to pick up”. We inquired about who this friend is, how he knew this woman, what the relation to her was, and why she would send this package to our business. Frank was very reluctant to share any details. After some coaxing, Frank admitted he “met a nice lady online, and she asked me to do her a favor,” but he had never met her in person. He also said, “I don’t want to give you her name as I don’t want her to get in any type of trouble.”
It soon became obvious to us that someone used a fake identity to gain Frank’s trust and create the illusion of a close relationship to manipulate him. We explained to Frank what we believed was going on, and informed him that, for the safety of all involved, we were going to file a police report and surrender the phones to the police station. The Portsmouth police department told us, “we’ve been seeing a lot of these types of scams lately, and unfortunately they target older, lonelier people who are more vulnerable.”
Although June was Senior Vulnerability Month, we hope everyone keeps a watch on those around us who are more likely to be targeted by scams like this.
Helpful reminders that could prevent this from happening to you or a loved one:
- Never share your personal information online, especially your financial information.
- Be wary of people who ask you for gift cards, cryptocurrency, or a wire transfer.
- Ask to speak face-to-face.
- Someone who won’t join a video call with you, or who keeps abandoning plans to meet, probably isn’t the person you think they are.
- Keep your guard up.
- If someone you met online tells you they’re in love with you in the first few days you’re talking, this is most likely a sign they’re trying to take advantage of you.
- Listen to your loved ones.
- If your friends and family have reservations about this new relationship, take them seriously.