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Plymouth Police Encourage Residents to be Aware of Common Scams
Post Date:10/13/2014
The Plymouth Police Department encourages residents to be aware of two scams that have recently become common throughout the state – the utility and black money scams.
Utility Scams
In a utility phone scam, a caller will attempt to trick people into paying them money by threatening to turn off their service. The scammer usually insists the victim pay immediately with a prepaid debit card, such as a Green Dot MoneyPak card. Residents should hang up and call their utility provider directly to verify billing and payment status.
Customers will typically be contacted several times through the mail about past-due bills before their service is turned off. Utility companies will not require the use of a pre-paid debit card. If a resident receives an unexpected or unsolicited call and cannot validate the caller’s authenticity, the resident should hang up and call the company or organization. Do not wire money without verifying the information.
Black Money Scam
In a black money scam, scammers, in person or through an email, show victims “black money” – which is the size and shape of United States currency. Scammers tell victims the money was painted in order to get it through customs undetected. Scammers ask victims to purchase expensive chemicals from an accomplice in order to clean the paint off the money and, in exchange, offer a percentage of the money to the victim. Sometimes, scammers will even “prove it” by taking real currency and washing it with the fake chemical, which is usually colored water. Once a victim pays for the expensive fake chemical, the scammers leave them black money to clean – but the black money is only black carbon paper. The scammers then profit from the fake chemical sale.
To report a scam, call the Plymouth Police Department at 763-509-5160 or email police@plymouthmn.gov.
Return to full list >>Utility Scams
In a utility phone scam, a caller will attempt to trick people into paying them money by threatening to turn off their service. The scammer usually insists the victim pay immediately with a prepaid debit card, such as a Green Dot MoneyPak card. Residents should hang up and call their utility provider directly to verify billing and payment status.
Customers will typically be contacted several times through the mail about past-due bills before their service is turned off. Utility companies will not require the use of a pre-paid debit card. If a resident receives an unexpected or unsolicited call and cannot validate the caller’s authenticity, the resident should hang up and call the company or organization. Do not wire money without verifying the information.
In a black money scam, scammers, in person or through an email, show victims “black money” – which is the size and shape of United States currency. Scammers tell victims the money was painted in order to get it through customs undetected. Scammers ask victims to purchase expensive chemicals from an accomplice in order to clean the paint off the money and, in exchange, offer a percentage of the money to the victim. Sometimes, scammers will even “prove it” by taking real currency and washing it with the fake chemical, which is usually colored water. Once a victim pays for the expensive fake chemical, the scammers leave them black money to clean – but the black money is only black carbon paper. The scammers then profit from the fake chemical sale.
To report a scam, call the Plymouth Police Department at 763-509-5160 or email police@plymouthmn.gov.