WESTFIELD, NJ — In the first two months of 2022, Westfield Police reported that residents have defrauded of over $520K.
Police said the amount stolen from residents equates to $8,820 per day or $367 per hour and that people should be wary of scam phone calls.
While some scams are orchestrated unbeknownst to the victim, such as using personal information to open fraudulent credit cards and bank accounts, police said the majority of scams involve the victim revealing their own personal information.
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Westfield Police provided a number of warning signs that indicate a person may be getting scammed:
- No legitimate company or government entity is going to request payment via prepaid credit cards or iTunes gift cards.
- No law enforcement agency is going to contact you via telephone to request payment in lieu of an arrest.
They also provided the following tips:
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- Do not provide personal information to anyone over the telephone unless you have verified their legitimacy.
- Do not allow remote access to your computer unless you have verified the company. And if you do allow remote access, do not login to any financial accounts while in the remote session.
In a recent incident on Feb. 21, a scammer used the personal information of a resident on the 800 Block of Mountain Ave and opened a fraudulent credit card under his name, according to…
