HOPATCONG BOROUGH, NJ (Sussex County) – Hopatcong resident was scammed out of $15,000 last month but it could have been a lot more, according to a release this week from Hopatcong Police Captain Thomas Kmetz.
The victim was in the process of buying a home and he thought he was e-mailing the sellers attorney. This attorney then told him to wire the money to South Africa, Kmetz said.
“Right there this victim should have ended all conversations. But he didn’t,” Kmetz said.
The victim thought that was suspicious and questioned the “attorney”. The victim was then told to send the money to his secretary, Melynda Malloy, in Derry, Pennsylvania. The victim then sent a $45,000.00 check to Malloy, Kmetz said.
Malloy was conversing with a person by the name of Jerry Freeman on Facebook. He told her that his partner, the victim, was going to send her the check and he wanted her to send it to Nigeria, Kmetz said.
Malloy got the check and put it in her bank. She used $15,000.00 and tried to send the rest to Nigeria but the bank stopped it, Kmetz said.
The real attorney had his email account hacked, Kmetz said
Kmetz shared these points:
- If you receive a check that you did not earn, you are involved in a scam.
- If you are dealing with large sums of money, you better be sure you KNOW where it is going. Why on Gods green earth would you be sending a check to some woman in Derry Pa?
- Never send money out of the U.S. unless you KNOW who it is going to. That does not mean someone told you so. It means that you mom lives in Ireland and you know you are sending her money.
- Most of all; Question everything. Be suspicious about everyone when it comes to your money….and dating.
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By: Jay Edwards Follow on Twitter | Like on Facebook
