Community
Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Phone / Computer Scams - Using Couriers to Collect Cash from Victims
| Nature of Incident: | Phone / Computer Scams - Using Couriers to Collect Cash from Victims | ||
| Location: | Thousand Oaks | ||
| Date: | March 2025 | ||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | East County Investigations Bureau | ||
| Narrative: | |||
| The Financial Crimes Unit in Thousand Oaks has become aware of a recent rash of theft by false pretenses targeting local residents with the use of a courier service. The scammers represented themselves as members of legitimate nationally known businesses. The following is an example of a reoccurring scam affecting innocent victims in the city of Thousand Oaks: The scam will initially appear via an unsolicited email. The email would portray themselves as legitimate correspondence from companies such as PayPal, Geek Squad and eBay and advise the victim of a fraudulent purchase made on the victim’s account. Additionally, the email would offer support to the victim in rectifying the charge. The victim would contact the “representative” via a provided phone number and speak with someone who claimed to be willing to assist them. The phone numbers used in the scam were internet phone numbers created by the scammer and canceled after the scam was completed. During the commission of the scam, the fraudulent purchase would be processed as a reimbursement to the victim’s bank account. As the reimbursement would take place, the scammer would claim they accidentally entered the wrong dollar amount (ex. $15,000 instead of $150.00) and would demand the victim return the overpayment back to the scammer. In many cases, the scammer had been able to access the victim’s bank account prior to the “reimbursement” and move the victim’s money from within their own accounts so it would appear to the victim the accidental deposit had occurred. In some cases, the scammer had convinced the victim to download applications that would allow the scammer remote access to the victim’s computer. By convincing the victim to provide sensitive personal identifying information (PII) such as user names, passwords, Social Security numbers, etc.) coupled with remote access, the scammer would have access to the victim’s bank accounts. The scammer would direct the victim to go to their banking institution and withdraw the overpayment in cash to return. Since the amount to be withdrawn would be large and raise suspicion from a bank teller, the scammer would advise the victim to tell the teller they needed the money to purchase a vehicle or make home improvements. After obtaining the cash, the victim would be told a “courier” would be arriving at their residence to collect the overpayment. The victim would be given a code word and instructed to ask the courier for the correct code word to confirm the legitimacy of the transaction. Some scammers will utilize a courier with actual ties to the scam itself. In other cases, Uber and Lyft drivers will be unwittingly hired by the scammer to collect the package (money) from the victim. Due to the voluntary withdrawal of the funds from their bank, the victims are rarely reimbursed the lost funds even though it was part of a scam. The Sheriff’s Office wants to warn the public of scammers representing themselves as members of legitimate, nationally known companies. No reputable company will make an error of overpayment and not have the ability to recall or fix the error. Furthermore, no legitimate company will request or require anyone to repay “funds in error” via a courier service. Scammers prey on victims by creating a sense of urgency regarding monetary funds and potential lack of computer knowledge in hopes the victims will make rushed decisions before they have time to realize a scam may be occurring. Tips to Protect Yourself Against Scams
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| Prepared by: | Detective Jason Cashmark | ||
| News Release Date: | 03/19/2025 | ||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Jason Cashmark (805) 494-8211, [email protected] |
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| Approved by: Booking Photo Release: |
Captain Albert Ramirez YES NO |
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Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511