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  Geebo 8:00 am on July 19, 2024 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: arrest warrant ( 26 ), gag order, jury duty scam ( 30 ), police impersonation scam ( 61 ), Scams ( 1,354 )   

  Why ‘gag orders’ are red flags to a scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  In many scams, perpetrators attempt to isolate their victims from friends and family, often virtually. Scammers frequently keep their victims on the phone while guiding them through the payment process. This tactic is particularly common in police impersonation scams, such as the jury duty scam or the grandparent scam. To prevent victims from contacting others, these impostors may threaten arrest, falsely claiming a ‘gag order’ is in place. While most people have heard of gag orders, this is not how they actually work.

  A gag order in US courts is a legal directive that restricts individuals, typically those involved in a legal proceeding, from discussing or disclosing certain information related to the case. These orders are issued by judges to ensure a fair trial by preventing the potential for prejudicial pretrial publicity and protecting the privacy and rights of the parties involved.

  Gag orders are issued by a court, typically signed by a judge and bearing official court insignia or letterhead. Official court orders are usually delivered through formal channels such as registered mail, a court official, or legal representative. If a gag order is delivered via email, text message, by phone call or any informal method, it’s likely fake.

  For example, in Northern Kentucky, police have issued a warning about scammers posing as law enforcement officers who extort money from victims under the pretense of legal fines. These scammers claim that a gag order is in place, threatening that discussing the matter with anyone else could worsen the victim’s legal situation.

  Scammers often rely on fear and urgency. Once a gag order is mentioned over the phone, there’s an overwhelming chance the caller is a scammer. Do not make any payments or provide personal information. Gag orders are not communicated or enforced over the phone. Politely hang up the phone. Engaging further could give the scammer more opportunities to manipulate you. Contact your local law enforcement agency or a legal professional to verify the legitimacy of the claim. Use official contact information, not the numbers provided by the caller. If possible, take note of the caller’s number, any names they use, and specific details of the conversation.

  By taking these steps, you can protect yourself and help authorities combat these fraudulent activities.

   

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  Geebo 8:00 am on March 20, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: gag order, grandparent scam ( 69 ), Scams ( 1,354 )   

  Elderly couple helps bust scammers 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Recently, the grandparent scam made its way through a part of Western Michigan along the shore of Lake Michigan. The grandparent scam is a type of fraud where scammers target elderly victims by impersonating their grandchild over the phone. The scammer will claim to be in legal trouble and ask for money to cover bail or other legal fees. To make the scam more convincing, the scammer may transfer the call to another individual pretending to be an attorney, police officer, or bail bondsman. This tactic has been used in numerous instances to trick victims into handing over their money.

  At least three sets of victims from Muskegon County in Michigan reported being approached by grandparent scammers. The first was an elderly woman who has difficulty hearing. As a result, she believed she was actually talking to her grandson. The phony grandson said he needed $9000 for bail money after getting into a car accident.

  The woman received another call from someone claiming to be her grandson’s attorney. That caller said he would meet with the woman, so he could collect the money that would bail out her grandson.

  The next day, the woman received another call from someone claiming to be the judge presiding over her grandson’s case. They said that the person her grandson was in an accident with died and the insurance company was requesting $25,000 to settle the matter out of court. The ‘judge’ was quick to settle on $19,000 since that was all the woman had.

  She was instructed to send cash through UPS to an address in Atlanta. After she dropped off the package, she had second thoughts and called the police. They were able top intercept the package before it reached its destination, but the initial $9000 was still lost. However, this is a great example of how scammers will almost always try to get more money out of a victim once the victim has made an initial payment to them.

  The next day, an elderly couple was called and someone posing as their grandson said they needed $25,000 for bail after getting into an accident with a politician. The call was then handed over to someone posing as the defense attorney. They told the grandparents that since a politician was involved in the crash, there was a gag order on the case. This supposedly meant that the grandparents couldn’t talk to anyone about the call. When asked why their grandson sounded so different, the caller responded that the grandson had come down with strep throat. As the grandfather was going to the bank, he started having second thoughts as well. He called his grandson, who was not in jail and did not have strep throat.

  The couple called the police, who had the couple arrange for the money to be picked up. When the scammers showed up to collect the money, they were arrested. The suspects from Florida are believed to be involved with a number of grandparent scams in the area. There was a third family in the area who were allegedly approached by the scammers, but they did not take the bait.

  The second scam attempt shows that scammers typically have an answer for every question you give them. Previously, we’ve heard of scammers saying the grandchild had a broken nose or missing teeth from the accident as why they sounded different. Scammers also love using the threat of a gag order to try to prevent the scam victim from speaking with anyone who might be familiar with the scam. Again, that’s not how gag orders work. No one can legally stop you from talking. Thankfully, the grandfather did the right thing by calling his grandson to make sure he wasn’t in jail. That should always be your first step when approached with a situation like this. And no matter what the caller says, you can talk to your family about it.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 9, 2020 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: gag order, grandparent scam ( 69 ), Scams ( 1,354 )   

  New type of threat used in grandparent scam 

  

  Scams are almost like their own form of life. They are constantly evolving to adapt to the warnings against them. For example, a scammer may try to keep their victim on the phone while the victim purchases gift cards or withdrawals money from the bank. The scammer will do this in order to tell the victim exactly what to say in case someone recognizes the scam. Scammers will use just about any tactic to pressure their victims into making a payment. Recently, the grandparent scam has seen a new tactic added to it to try to keep victims from notifying anyone.

  As you may know, the grandparent scam specifically targets the elderly as the name implies. The scammer will pose as one of the victim’s grandchildren and claim that they need money for bail or some other kind of emergency. They’ll ask the victims not to say anything to the rest of the family. Sometimes the scammers will pose as police demanding payment from the victim stating their grandchild committed some kind of crime.

  As more people become aware of the grandparent scam, the scammers will change their tactics in order to pressure future victims into staying silent. Recently, in the state of New Hampshire, the Attorney General issued a warning about the grandparent scam. The New Hampshire AG stated that scammers are calling victims posing as police demanding payment and threatening the victim into not telling anyone by claiming the victim is now under a ‘legal gag order’.

  Legitimate gag orders are usually only issued to those involved with a court matter and are not issued by police. You can’t legally be placed under a gag order while trying to bail a loved one out of jail.

  If you receive a phone call like this or a similar one, don’t let the scammer pressure you into making any kind of payment without verifying their story. Hang up and make contact with the relative the scammers are claiming to be or with someone who will know the relative’s current location. You may also want to ask the person on the phone a question only the person they’re claiming to be would know. In either case, it’s recommended that you contact the actual police if you receive a call like this so they can inform the public.

  Again, we ask that if you know an elderly person or couple who live alone and do not have access to the internet, please let them know about this scam.