The Lebanon Police Department has announced its new series, “Scam of the Scammer,” where the department will expose the intricacies of a surging scam on social media that may impact the local communities.
The series kicked off with a discussion of “money mules,” which are scammers that use unexpecting individuals to move money the scammer has obtained through fraudulent activities, which is a scam that the department stated was surging in reports.
“Lebanon Police Department has observed a surge in fraud and scam reports, and we’re committed to keeping you informed and protected,” the department released. “Introducing our Scam of the Scammer series, where we expose a scam each day to empower you against these deceitful tactics.”
The department released warning signs of the “money mule” scam, including instances where a scammer may ask the recipient to open a bank account or request access to the recipient’s account. The scammer may then ask for the recipient to deposit funds into their account or buy virtual currency or gift cards ultimately for the scammer’s benefit. The department warned recipients of the scam messages to avoid forwarding packages containing money or goods from strangers as the scammer may be utilizing the action to “clean” the fraudulent money.
The department continued to encourage community members to remain vigilant as scammers may recruit the recipient of the message without their knowledge, causing the recipient to unknowingly partake in fraudulent activities.
“If you suspect you’ve been targeted or have unwittingly contributed to money mule activities, stop all transactions and communication,” the department released. “Report your concern to your bank immediately. They can guide you on protecting your account and funds. Report the suspected activity to law enforcement.”
For more information regarding the “money mules” scam, visit the U.S. Department of Justice webpage on Money Mules. The Lebanon Police Department will continue its series daily on its Facebook page with the next posts covering online dating scams, imposter scams, mortgage and foreclosure scams and ransomware scams.
Visit the Lebanon Police Department Facebook page for more on this series.