Hope won't get you any money

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SENECA — They’re hoping its legit, says Police Chief Ray Meglan of letters residents bring him, promising them millions in exchange for their personal check for peanuts.

He is telling residents to be aware of the letters being received in the community, which, for one, claim the recipient has just won a large amount of money in a lottery.

“They want you to write a personal check for a small amount, like $20 for a so-called processing fee, and mail it to them before they send your money to you,” he said.

“Don’t fall for this. They want your personal check to obtain your bank account number from it. They will then try to scam you further in the future after they get this information.”

Meglan has recently been receiving letters of this nature in his personal mail at the rate of three and four per day.

“I send the letters back to them, saying they can take the processing fee out of my winnings,” he said. “I tell them they can also add $20 out of my winnings for a tip.”

Meglan never hears from the letter writers again. He considers his approach to be a 44-cent postage stamp well wasted.

He says residents bring these kinds of letter to him at the police station for verification.

“One guy in town kept bringing them in, and I kept telling him it’s a scam,” Meglan said. “I said, ‘They’ll use your money and you’ll lose your money.’ I believe he did send his money in, and he did lose it.”

He says to those who bring him letters that it’s a scam.

“I tell residents, ‘Don’t send any money to them – you’re not going to get any $4 million in return,’” he said. “They’re hoping the offer is legitimate though. They look at me like they don’t believe me.”

Meglan then brings up the scam process on the Internet for the resident to view.

“They believe me then,” he said. “If you get a letter, just go on the Internet, type in the name of the sender in Search. That site will then come up, and you can read what it says.”

Seneca residents aren’t alone, however, when it comes to scams.

The Minooka Police Department has two quick-change scam reports from as many fastfood businesses in the past week. Also, a similar incident was reported by a Coal City business.

Involved in the Coal City scam were a male and a female African-American. It is not known if the three incidents are isolated, or part of a larger operation.

In addition, police are cautioning businesses to take extra care around the holiday season in their dealings with customers.

They suggest not putting cash from the customer into the register until the transaction is complete. By doing this, the clerk can avoid not knowing or remembering the denomination of the customer’s paper money.

Police said scam artists are fast talkers, and will attempt to confuse the clerk into thinking they made a mistake involving the paper money.

Additionally, police in all area communities are warning businesses to be aware of counterfeit money, which can be especially prevalent around the holiday season.

Any business in doubt about the money they receive should call police before the customer leaves the premises.

Further information about scams in the area is available from Detective Craig Meece at the Minooka Police Department, (815) 467-2298.

The Seneca Police Department can be reached at (815) 357-1616.


 

 

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