"Joe" of Carson City was a "real sucker."- "Joe (that's not his real name) was easily deceived, duped and cheated," says Tim Johnston, executive director of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Northern Nevada.
"It's really sad. Joe was taken for a ride," according to Johnston, in describing how Joe and other Nevadans are being hoodwinked and victimized of their hard-earned money by Internet thieves armed with a witch's brew of scams and rip-offs.
Poor Joe, Johnston said in an interview, was "taken to the cleaners" by an unsolicited Internet offering that promised a $300,000 government grant for his small Carson City firm if he paid in advance a $5,000 "good faith" fee to the fellow supposedly formulating and arranging the grant.
"Joe sent the $5,000 by Internet money transfer to the man be believed was his benefactor. Of course, he never heard from him again. It's hard to believe, but people really do fall for these scams. There's a sucker born every minute," said Johnston, who runs the area's non-profit BBB from its headquarters in Sparks.
Johnston also related the sad tale of a Gardnerville man who fell for another ruse... this time from an out-of-state woman he met on the Internet who said she would fly to Reno to meet him and discuss marriage if he would wire her $3,000 to buy new clothes, luggage and an airplane ticket.
"He sent her the money, but never heard from her again," said Johnston, who reports that the Carson and Gardnerville men represent a galaxy of individuals who are successfully fleeced by confidence tricksters utilizing the anonymity of the Web to ply their nefarious trade.
Johnston also told the story of a woman living in a rural area between Tonopah and Bishop who fell prey to an Internet offer perpetrated by a huckster who said he represented a company that could provide daily checkups on her computer to make sure it was not infected with viruses, spyware and malware.
The woman paid the scammer hundreds of dollars for his alleged services, but she soon learned that he, instead, infected her computer with a deadly virus and began stealing from her bank accounts.
Johnston said the Northern Nevada BBB and BBBs across the nation have divided the scams into several major categories in an effort to alert potential victims to the latest Internet gimmicks spreading throughout the land.
One of these is the "phishing scam." It takes place when you receive an unsolicited phone call or e-mail message requesting personal financial information that will enable a company you are doing business with such as a bank or financial firm to check up on your transactions or verify your personal account information.
"If you provide this information to people you don't know, you are setting yourself up for identity theft or the cleaning out of your bank account," Johnston warned.
Johnston described another trick as the "sweepstakes and lottery scam." Here, the victim is informed that he or she has won "a whole lot of money," and in order to claim it, "you must send hundreds or even thousands of dollars for so-called fees, taxes and other costs up front before you receive your money." The offers are illegitimate and the victims never receive a dime of the money they supposedly "won."
Still another scam "that is always at the top of BBB complaints" is the "home improvement scam," Johnston continued. This involves unsolicited visits to one's home by itinerant and unlicensed "contractors" who promise to repair roofs, driveways and home siding at unbelievably low cost. The culprits request payment "up front" to purchase supplies and tools, and "when you pay them, they vanish," he said.
The "check cashing scam" also has bedeviled some Nevadans. In this ruse, persons who believe they have sold items on the Internet are sent checks by the supposed purchasers for more than the amount owed them. "You are then asked to deposit the check in your bank account and return the difference via Western Union. The original check, of course, bounces, you are out the money you wired, and you're stuck with the item you thought you sold," Johnston said.
The "real estate scam" also has cost the gullible hundreds or thousands of dollars. In this scam, the perpetrator meets the unsuspecting would-be buyer or renter of an unoccupied home or apartment and requests a hefty down payment or first month's rent. "Once you pay, the culprit takes off, never to be seen or heard from again. The bad guy, of course, had no right to sell or rent the property. It wasn't his to begin with," Johnston said.
"Most of us are trusting of the other fellow. We want to believe him. But we must be wary of offers that are too good to be true. Check out people who want to do business with you. Demand references. Call the BBB to see if we have complaints against them. Ask our advice before you sign anything or give out personal information. Be particularly suspicious of unsolicited offerings by Internet, mail or telephone. You must be proactive or you'll be swindled," advised Johnston, who said he can be contacted at (775) 322-0657, the BBB at 4834 Sparks Blvd., Suite 102, Sparks, NV 89436, or tjohnston@bbb.org.
• David C. Henley is Publisher Emeritus of the LVN.
