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Arrest threats and prize notifications costing unwary locals money.
KINGSTON – A woman was swindled out of $1,000 when she was threatened with fines by a man identifying himself as an agent with the “Drug Enforcement Agency,” Police Chief Keith Keiper said.
Keiper said the phone call was definitely a scam and warned other residents to be cautious of bogus solicitations and threats.
Other police departments have reported similar phone scams in recent weeks.
Duryea police said three residents on the same day earlier this month received phone calls that sought payment for a prize or personal information.
A resident in the 500 block of Phoenix Street told Duryea police she received a call from someone asking about her Medicare account information. A resident in the 400 block of Phoenix Street claimed he received a call claiming his niece was in jail in Canada and needed $7,200 for bail. Police spoke to the caller, who hung up.
A third Duryea resident in the 100 block of Dickson Street reported she was contacted by a male with a Middle Eastern accent who claimed she won $1 million but needed to send money to have the prize transferred to her.
A Wilkes-Barre woman in November was cheated out of $300 she wired to what she believed was a credit collection agency in California.
In the latest scam, Keiper said the woman reported on Monday she wired $1,000 after a man claimed he was an agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency in Washington, D.C. Keiper said the man told the woman she faced being arrested for illegally purchasing narcotics from another country.
“She sent money to this guy,” Keiper said. “We contacted the DEA in Scranton. It’s a scam all the way. If they say ‘Drug Enforcement Agency,’ it should be a red flag. It’s the Drug Enforcement Administration.”
The real DEA sent out a notice in October warning the public about callers posing as DEA special agents.
The impostors prey on people who, in most cases, purchased narcotics over the Internet or by telephone, and say such a purchase is illegal. The fake agents instruct the victim to wire money or face arrest.