CPD warns public about phone scams in the area

ClarksvilleNow.com Reporting
news@clarksvillenow.com

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Just one week after the start of the new year, the Clarksville Police Department (CPD) has responded to two separate phone scam incidents which led to a combined loss of over $1,170 for one of the victims.

The first case of fraud took place January 2, when the victim, who did not speak much English, received four separate phone calls from individuals claiming to work for CDE Lightband. The call came from the number 931-648-8151, which is the actual business phone number for CDE. The first caller was a male by the name of Lagrua Gutierrez. He stated in Spanish that the victim’s meter was about to explode and that CDE needed to come to her home and fix it, and that a deposit would be needed before the work could be done.

The victim was then instructed to go to Walgreens and load a prepaid Green Dot Card with money. After that point, the victim gave the scammers more money using two prepaid cards from Rite Aid, and one other card from Walgreens, according to instructions from three additional callers. The scammers, posing as CDE, never came out to check the meter and made excuses as to why they could not. The victim’s son called CDE about the incident and they told him that it was a scam that had occurred before. It was later discovered that the calls had originated from another country.

The second incident happened January 3, when another Clarksville victim was contacted over the phone by an individual claiming to represent a company by the name of “National Association of Fraud Investigators.” The caller claimed that the victims’s husband took out a loan from “Payday Yes” in 2008 and that if he did not pay the loan back, a warrant would be taken out for his arrest. The victim agreed to pay an installment of $250.00 to the caller, though she later learned that the company she was contacted by has been involved in several fraudulent activities.

According to CPD, Phone Scam crimes (eg. Fraud/False Pretense) are not easily solved or not solved at all, due to the origin of the actual phone calls. Experienced scam artists get rid of their phone numbers or phones before they are able to be detected, or before the crime is reported.

CPD Helpful Hints to avoid becoming a victim

• Do not ever give out your financial information over the phone. If a caller continues to ask for this information, hang up the phone.

• Green Dot Cards or Money Orders: When you are asked for either a Green Dot Card or Money Order over the phone, be wary. It is not common practice for businesses to make phone calls to customers regarding overdue accounts or to solicit payment. An established business sends notices in the mail or has a website to check account information.

• Never assume a caller is genuine just because they hold some information, such as your name, address, and account details to try to make the call appear legitimate.

• Banks never call and ask for a four-digit card Pin or ask customers to withdraw money to hand over to them or transfer money to another account.

• Avoid giving Social Security numbers or credit card numbers over the phone.

• Don’t call the phone number you received by email or one that was left on your voicemail. Instead, look up the customer service or sales department phone number on the company’s official website.

• Phone scammers sometimes threaten to arrest, deport, suspend licenses, turn off services (utility companies), etc. A legitimate business will not make such threats over money issues over the phone.

CPD will continue to share any valuable tips that will help to reduce this type of criminal activity. Anyone knowing of any type of crime or criminal activity should call 931-648-0656 or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers TIPS hotline at 931-645-TIPS (8477).