Odds of getting money back after scams very low, prevention key: Police chief

Yahoo

20-02-2025

NEW CASTLE, Pa. (WKBN) – After another scam that amounted to the loss of thousands of dollars for the victim, First News sat down with New Castle Police Chief David Cumo to talk prevention tips.
One of the current scams targeting people, especially those in older age groups, involves a scammer calling a potential victim on the phone and impersonating law enforcement. The scammer may tell the caller that there is a warrant out for their arrest that they owe money on, or even that they need to pay bail for someone else in their life.
Chief Cumo says a woman is out around $7,000 after falling victim to such a scam. In this case, the woman was directed by the caller to drive to a nearby gas station and enter thousands of dollars into a Bitcoin machine.
'My understanding is the clerks overheard the conversation going on and were holding up signs saying 'this is a scam, don't do it,'' Chief Cumo said. 'But she did it.'
Once that money is made available to the scammers, the victim's chances of getting it back are very slim.
'A lot of these scams are pretty much untraceable or come back to overseas where the extradition is just not going to happen,' Cumo said. 'I don't know if I've ever heard of someone getting their money back that actually went and did these type of scams.'
Prevention is key in this type of situation. One of the best ways is to recognize this as a scam and realize it is not a legitimate practice by police.
'Law enforcement will never call you on the phone and tell you that you have warrants or you're wanted. And we will never ask anyone to send money in any way, shape or form to us.'
If you are involved in any sort of legal proceedings where money is owed, it will be handled through the court system.
Chief Cumo says any time you are contacted by someone claiming to be from a law enforcement agency, follow up with your local department before you commit to anything. He says if the caller is asking for money, more than likely, it's a scammer.
'Any time someone is contacted, whether it's email or by telephone, assume it's a scam, would be my best suggestion to you, because we will never contact anybody looking for money, and we're certainly not going to accept it in any type of gift cards or Bitcoin.'
His best recommendation if you doubt the legitimacy of a caller is to ask questions – such as the caller's name, phone number, and agency – and say you'll call them back to make arrangements.
'More than likely, that's going to end the conversation right there, or they're going to try and keep you on the phone,' Cumo said.
If the caller is claiming a friend or family member was arrested and in need of bail money, he suggests asking to speak with the person the caller claims is in police custody. Another option is to end the call and reach out to the involved person directly – if they answer, you can confirm that the caller was a scammer.
His ultimate piece of advice: 'Ask questions and do not give money.'
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