News : Two scams target area families

Two area residents have reported being the targets of attempted scams. But both recognized the efforts as scams and refused to be conned.

Below is a summary of each. The intended victims contacted Vinton Today to ask us to alert our readers. The Secret Shopper Scam There really is an reputable organization called Corporate Research International in New York City that seeks to evaluate companies using secret shoppers and other techniques. There is really a bank in Wilurton, Okla, called Latimer State Bank. And there really is a company in Williburton, Okla., called Jim Wynn, Inc. There is even really a man named Michael Jahncke. But it's very unlikely that any of these had anything to do with each other. But a clever Canadian has come up with a scam that claims that Jim Wynn, Inc., is paying people to participate in secret shopping ventures through Corporate Research International. The letter that claims to come from CRI even includes an authentic-looking check from the Latimer State Bank. The check, of course, is counterfeit. The unmarked letter claiming to be from the New York organization had a Canadian stamp on it. The cell phone number the recipient was asked to call is registered to someone in Quebec. The perpetrator of this scam seeks to gain money by asking their "secret shoppers" to "evaluate" money transfer agencies by sending money to them. While the rural Brandon couple that received the letter recognized it as a scam, many people have been fooled. The actual Corporate Research International web site contains a warning about the scam that uses its name. The "Help me, Grandma" scam Another area woman who was recently widowed received a phone call from a man claiming to be a grandson who needed some money. The caller even knew the name of the woman's grandson. But that woman had a distant relative who had been fooled by a similar scam and sent $2,500 to a stranger who posed as a grandson. The local woman was inspired to ask the caller a question only her grandson would know. "What is your middle name?" she asked. "I knew that only my grandson would know the answer to that question because both my grandsons have two middle names," she said. She told the caller she had another call on her cell phone and hung up. He called her back a few mintues later and asked her again for money. She refused. "It did hurt me. I am not afraid, but I am concerned," said the woman, who believes the scam artist is someone in the area who got her name, and her grandson's, from the obituary of her husband, who died several weeks ago. Our state and local authorities have done a good job of educating Iowans about the risks of scam artists. But usually they do not know about a scam until someone has been targeted. By then, for some, it's too late. Many have lost thousands of dollars to total strangers. These two scams, said Vinton Police Chief Jeff Tilson, are variations of scams that have been targeting the elderly for many years.

"They typically target elderly people on the assumption they're more gullible and less likely to say anything to anyone if they are scammed, which, unfortunately, tends to be true," said Tilson.

There are lots of ways to protect yourself but I think that maybe the best one is this: Assume that a phone call or letter asking you to send money is a scam, until you can prove that it is not. Reader Comments: Mom got the same phone call from her "grandson" telling her that he was in trouble and needed money. It was about two weeks ago and I just happened to be in her house when the phone rang. Mom ignored the call and they didn't call back. Vinton