A 71-year-old Bulls Gap woman told the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office last week she’d been bilked out of $18,000 by a man she was dating online who claimed he was coming to the United States from Nigeria to marry her.
The woman told HCSO Deputy Robert Rios that the man she was dating called himself Chad Crofoot who began asking her for money in November to pay for his trip to the U.S.
The woman stated she was eventually informed that Chad Crofoot had been arrested in Knox County. She began communicating with a person identifying herself as Kirstjen Nielson via text who stated that if the woman wanted to bail Crofoot out of jail she had to send them money.
“Over a period of time between November until January she has sent them different amounts of money using Apple Gift Cards, and taking pictures of the gift cards and receipt,” Rios stated in his report. “When that didn’t work they eventually convinced her to give them her bank account info, Social Security number, date of birth, a picture of her driver’s license, a picture of her signature, and a picture of her debit card front and back.”
Another person who identified himself as Donald Iden and claimed to be a colleague of Nielson repeatedly tryied to get the same info.
Rios added, “They used multiple phone numbers but never talked on the phone. She estimated a total of $18,000 has been sent to these people in an attempt to get Chad Crofoot out of jail.”
Beware of scams circulating Tennessee
According to the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office scammers use the internet or telephone to trick millions of people every year into sending money or giving out personal information. Scammers can be polite and charming.
They may say they work for a company that you recognize. They may know your name or certain things about you and make you feel special. They promise things like lottery winnings, prizes, friendship, or romance. But they don’t keep these promises.
The Tennessee Attorney General’s office has issued the following report on the most common scams currently being attempted against Tennessee residents.
Email extortion scam: Multiple Tennesseans report receiving emails that list their passwords and threaten to release explicit images if they don’t send bitcoin to the scammer. Consumers can report this scam to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.
Family emergency scam: “Grandma: I’m in the hospital, please wire money right away.” Scam callers are taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic by posing as a sick family member in need. Their goal is to tug at the consumer’s heartstrings and get them to act immediately by wiring money or sending gift cards.
Fake rental listing scam: A Jackson consumer responding to a rental home listing on Craigslist was told that due to COVID-19 precautions the owner couldn’t show the home, but offered detailed pictures instead. The consumer paid the deposit, but never heard from the “property owner” again.
Pet-buying scams: Reports of pet-buying scams continue to rise. A Clarksville consumer tried to purchase a Bengal kitten from an online listing, Peace Home Bengal Kittens. The website was completely fraudulent with fake names and account numbers, but plenty of real add-on fees to buy the pet. The consumer sent $1,800 for a kitten that never came.
Text message scam: Multiple Tennesseans report scammers are using text messages to promise money such as economic impact payments or loans for small businesses. Clicking could expose you to scams, download malware, or get your phone number added to lists that are then sold to other bad actors.
Government imposter scams: A Rutherford County consumer received a call from a scammer posing as a police officer. The number was “spoofed” to appear on the consumer’s phone as the Smyrna Police Department. The consumer was told they had a warrant for failure to appear in court, and due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the consumer must remain on the phone with them and proceed to their bank to withdraw and wire $5,000 for their bond to clear their case.
Tips to avoid being scammed
Threats, intimidation and high-pressure tactics are classic signs of a scam.
Research a seller thoroughly before submitting payment.
If a seller won’t let you view a rental property in person before you pay, beware.
Being asked to wire money or provide gift cards as payment are red flags of a scam.
Government agencies do not use text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information. If you have questions about the federal government’s economic impact payment, go to www.irs.gov/coronavirus.
What to do if you become a victim
Document It: Write down everything you remember about what happened. Include the names of the companies and people you spoke with. Also write down the dates you spoke with them.
Take Action and Report: Contact your bank or credit card company right away. Stop the payment if you can.
Report what happened to federal and/or state agencies: Here are some places you can call for free: Eldercare Locator helpline, (Department of Health and Human Services): (800) 677-1116; Anti-Fraud Hotline (U.S. Senate Aging Committee): (855)303-9470 or visit www.aging.senate.gov/fraud-hotline; Victim Connect hotline (VictimConnect Resource Center, National Center for Victims of Crime): (855) 484-2846; Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer Call Center: (888) 225-5322.
File a state complaint with the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs at (800)342-8385 or (615) 741-4737.
Tell the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov
Tell your family, caregivers, and friends: Tell others what happened so that they can help you and protect themselves.
