"RECENT NEWS"

Mail Fraud Scam Circulating in WyoBraska
Star-Herald:  April 6, 2010
The Chadron Police Department is alerting citizens of a mail fraud scam circulatiing in Chadron and surrounding communities.  The scam begins with a letter, postmarked from Canda, sent to citizens.   The letter consists of an awards letter from RBC Financial with an attached entry slip claiming that the citizen has won a certain amount of money.  The letter claims that the entry slip was generated after making a credit card purchase at a major store.  The letter claims that the recipient has won funds in the range of $50,000 to $450,000.  Along with the letter is a check made out to the recipient for an amount between $2,500 and $5,000.  The instructions in the letter indicate that this amount is for the "Non-Resident Government Tax" and will be deducted from the total amount.  The letter states that recipient needs to contact an agent, cash the check and send the money.  The check is fraudulent.  Once the check is cashed and money is sent through Western Union, the recipient of this fraudulent letter and check is responsible for the amount of the check.  DO NOT RESPOND TO THESE TYPES OF MAIL SCAMS!

Attorney General Jon Bruning
April 5, 2010
Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning warned not to fall victim to a new tax refund scam targeting consumers through e-mail.  An e-mail is going around that has the IRS logo and replicates an actual IRS Web site that claims you have a refund.  The recipient is then directed to an online form that asks for personal information, such as credit card number, ATM PIN, card expiration date and three-digit security code.  Remember, the Internal Revenue Service would never contact you via e-mail.  All IRS communication is through the U.S. Postal Service.  "With the tax deadline approaching, we expect IRS scams to increase," said Bruning.  "Consumers need to know that we are here to help."

Bank Customers Fall to Telephone Scams
Nebraska Bankers Association:  Mar. 19, 2010
A telephone fraud scheme hit central Nebraska the week of March 16, 2010.  Many bank customers fell for the scheme and provided personal information to the scammers, resulting in fraudulent transactions on the accounts of these cardholders.  Once the perpetrators obtained a customer's card information, they would validate the data by attempting a small-dollar transaction online.  If the transaction was approved, they would begin using the cards to withdraw cash from ATM's in Romania and Macedonia.

 EVENT SUMMARY:  The cardholder receives a phone call from an automated system on their home or cell phone.  The automated system informs the cardholder that their card information has been compromised and their card will be deactivated unless they key in their card number, expiration date, and Personal Identification Number ( PIN ).  They may request additional information as well.  The fraudster validates this information by attempting an online authorization, generally for a small dollar amount.  If the online authorization is successful, they produce a physical card and begin using the card in ATMs and PIN-based POS terminals internationally.                            

Customer Best Practices:

~ Hang up and contact your financial institution

   immediately if you receive one of these calls.

~ DO NOT PROVIDE ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION.

   Your financial institution will not contact you for ANY

   personal information using these methods.

~ Retain the telephone number and/or any text information

   received from the call or text.

~ If you supplied any information, give the specifics to your

   financial institution so that they can stop any unauthorized

   transactions.

Beware of Census Scams
January 2010
Census  workers will soon make the rounds in Wyo-Braska, and that opens the door for scammers who try to dupe unsuspecting consumers out of personal information.  If someone comes to your door asking for Social Security numers, bank account numbers, credit card information, or any personal information, do not give it out!  Census workers will not ask you for that information.  They should have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag and a confidentiality notice.  NEVER GIVE OUT PERSONAL INFORMATION! 

Medical Identity Theft...
is a little-known but frightening type of consumer fraud that is on the rise. It involves using your name and other identifying items (social security number, date of birth, etc.) to get drugs, expensive medical treatment and even fraudulent insurance payouts.  Setting the record straigh can be extremely difficult, because it is dispersed among dozens of caregivers, from doctors to pharmacies to insurance company and labs.  Incorrect entries can prevent you from getting inusrance, disqualify you for some jobs, and even lead to injury or death.  According to Byron Hollis, national anti-fraud director of Blue Cross and Blue Shild... "An insurance card is like a VISA card with a $1 million spending limit."

Telephone Scam Alert
DON'T EVER DIAL AREA CODES 809, 284, and 876.
According to industry experts, telephone fraud costs an estimated $4 billion each year. Communications become more high-tech, and people of all ages, income, education levels and lifestyles can be taken in by crafty crooks. So.
ALL CONSUMERS SHOULD BE WARY!
Learn more »

Identity Theft Facts
Identity Theft is causing devastating damage to consumers throughout the world. A report estimates... more than 79 million records were compromised in the U.S. from January 1st thru December 18, 2007, nearly a 4-fold increase from nearly 20 million records in all of 2006; or 69 million more than in 2004.   In 2008 TJX, the parent company of T. J. Maxx, Marshall's Home Goods, and other retailers... disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that more than 94 MILLION credit and debit card numbers had been stolen from its IT systems over an 18-month period.  

This implies almost a 100 percent certainty that you or someone in your family will be an identity theft victim sometime in your lifetime. To minimize identity theft risks, consumers must limit distribution of sensitive personal identifying and payment information.