LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Police Department is issuing a reminder about scams involving money orders or wire transfers, and is urging residents to be extremely cautious when releasing personal information or sending money to unknown individuals, a county press released
LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Police Department is issuing a reminder about scams involving money orders or wire transfers, and is urging residents to be extremely cautious when releasing personal information or sending money to unknown individuals, a county press released stated on Tuesday.
KPD have received reports of various schemes aimed at obtaining money from people, according to the release.
The victims in these incidents are typically selling a product or listing a home for rent on the Internet.
The suspect, acting as a buyer or renter, will send a money order to the victim in an amount greater than the advertised good or service. He then instructs the victim to immediately wire-transfer the excess funds to an out-of-state third-party.
The victim will eventually be notified by his bank that the money order originally deposited into his account was fraudulent, and therefore null and void.
By this time the victim has already wire-transferred his personal funds to an unknown individual, and has no way of reclaiming that money, the release stated.
If you suspect a scam, please call the KPD at 241-1711 before sending money to unknown individuals.
Go to http://ftc.gov/idtheft for tips on how to avoid identity theft.
