LIVERMORE, Calif. (KRON) — A 77-year-old Livermore man nearly lost $47,000 in a scam, the Livermore Police Department announced. The man had loaded the money in cash into shoe boxes before police were able to track it down.
Police said that several people had contacted the victim’s phone claiming his personal information was compromised in a data breach and money laundering scheme.
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The suspects claimed to be from the fraud departments at Amazon and Wells Fargo. LPD said they convinced the man to pile $47,000 in cash in $100 bills into shoe boxes and mail the money to an undisclosed location.
The man realized on Wednesday that he was the victim of a scam. Livermore police got involved and were able to recover the package before it was shipped.
Police said they used the tracking number to put a hold on the package, keeping it from being delivered. They then secured the package and returned it to the victim.
Police offered the following tips to avoid scams:
- Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you did not expect.
- Do not click on any links, even if it is a company you do business with. It is best to contact them on a trusted website or look up their phone number.
- Do not call a number a stranger provides or use phone numbers off Caller ID.
- Resist the pressure to act immediately. Honest businesses will give you time to make a decision.
- Never pay someone who insists you pay via certain methods such as cryptocurrency, money wires, gift cards, etc.
- Never deposit a check and send money back to someone.
- Stop and talk to someone you trust before you take action.
- Take steps to block unwanted calls and text messages.
