State Police Intercepts Money Destined for Scammers

 The New York State Police has announced that they successfully intercepted $10,000 sent by a Saratoga County man destined for scammers. 

The scam was a continuation of a previous attack by scammers on the man which occurred in March. 

According to New York State Police, the incident occurred when the man was contacted over the phone by alleged scammers claiming to be from their financial institution. The scammers claimed that they were following up on an investigation into compromised accounts. The alleged scammers instructed the man to send $10,000 to address in The Bronx. 

While the man complied and sent the money, the next day he realized it likely a scam and contacted State Police on April 24. Working with United Parcel Service (UPS), the State Police were able to locate and intercept the money in Yonkers and return it to the man. 

In light of the scam, the State Police offered the following advice from the FDIC : 

• Do not open emails from people you don’t know. If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

• Be careful with links and new website addresses. Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

• Secure your personal information. Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

• Stay informed on the latest cyber threats. Keep yourself up to date on current scams. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) can provide you with Alerts.

• Use Strong Passwords. Strong passwords are critical to online security. Review CISA guidance on Choosing and Protecting Passwords (PDF).

• Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs. Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

• Update the operating systems on your electronic devices. Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.