Fayetteville Police warn of new scam

The bleak job market has created a sense of desperation among many and a recent scam seeks to exploit that desperation. A Fayetteville man is out over $17,000 after responding to an on-line ad for employment.

The ad promised $1,000 for two weeks worth of research for an on-line concierge service. The Fayetteville victim completed the research and submitted his invoice for payment. He was requested to send his bank account information to the company to enable a direct deposit. He received a deposit of over $9,000 into his account a few days later.

He was then contacted, told he had accidentally been over paid and was asked to send $8,000 via Western Union to a person in Russia. Once the money was sent via Western Union, the money was immediately withdrawn from his bank account leaving him responsible for the original deposit plus the money he wired. The Fayetteville Police Department has issued the following advisement:

1) Do not respond to on-line or e-mailed ads from unknown or non established sources.

2) If you cannot meet your boss face to face, you do not want to work for them.

3) Never send money to anyone you do not know, PERIOD!

4) Check the Better Business Bureau, www.bbb.org, the Internet Crime Complaint Center, www.ic3.gov, and Federal Trade Commission, ftc.gov websites for information about businesses and complaints.

5) If something seems to good to be true, it probably is.

The Fayetteville Police Department is still investigating the incident. If anyone has been a victim of this scam, they are encouraged to contact Detective Mike Whitlow at the Fayetteville Police Department, (770) 461-4441.

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Fake Military Twist on Vehicle Sale Scams

The FBI continues to receive reports of individuals victimized while attempting to purchase
vehicles via the Internet. Victims find attractively priced vehicles advertised at different Internet classified ad sites. Most of the scams include some type of third-party vehicle protection program to ensure a safe transaction.

After receiving convincing e-mails from the phony vehicle protection program, the victims are directed to send either the full payment, or a percentage of the payment, to the third-party agent via a wire payment service. No vehicles are delivered to the victims.

In a new twist, scammers are posing as members of the United States military. The fictitious military personnel in the scam have either been sent to a foreign country to improve military relations, or they need to sell a vehicle quickly and cheaply because of their upcoming deployment to either Iraq or Afghanistan.

Consumers are advised to do as much due diligence as possible before engaging in transactions to purchase vehicles advertised online. Consumers are also cautioned to be aware of the rules of or warnings posted by the Internet sites they visit. If someone is asking a consumer to break or avoid the rules of the Web site, it is possible that person is trying to scam you.

If you have fallen victim to this type of scam, please notify the IC3 by filing a complaint at www.IC3.gov.

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National Auto Fraud and Theft Prevention System Goes Live

The U.S. Department of Justice today announced the availability of an online computer system to help protect states and consumers from automobile fraud and to provide law enforcement with new tools to investigate fraud, theft, and other crimes involving vehicles. The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, or NMVTIS, will be available for consumers on January 30, 2009 and will be accessible through third party, fee-for-service websites. The Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) administers NMVTIS in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The system allows state motor vehicle administrators to verify and exchange titling and brand data and provides law enforcement officials, consumers, and others with critical information regarding vehicle histories. Consumers now have access to the vehicle’s brand history, odometer data, and basic vehicle information and can be redirected to the current state of record to access the full title record if available. Law enforcement can track the vehicle’s status from state to state by accessing the system directly.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, car theft is a profitable business generating nearly $8 billion a year. Along with implementing this system, the Department has outlined the various responsibilities and reporting requirements for states, auto recyclers, junk yards and salvage yards, and insurance carriers. The Department has designed the system consistent with federal law that requires that the system be paid for through user fees and not dependent on federal funding.

Since 1997, the Department of Justice has committed over $15 million to assist states and other stakeholders in the implementation of NMVTIS. Currently, NMVTIS has the participation, or partial participation, of 36 states. Ultimately, with full participation from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, NMVTIS will prevent stolen motor vehicles, including clones, from entering into interstate commerce; protect states and consumers from fraud; reduce the use of stolen vehicles for illicit purposes including fundraising for criminal enterprises; and provide consumer protection from unsafe vehicles. In research conducted by the Logistics Management Institute, the system is estimated to save taxpayers between $4 and $11 billion each year. For further information on NMVTIS, visit www.nmvtis.gov.

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