Scammers are scaring New Yorkers into paying fake debt, often with intimidating messages that threaten arrest or lawsuits, according to Associated Press. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman released warnings to avoid these phoney mails that claim to be from the attorney general’s office. One sure sign that it is a hoax, said Schneiderman, is the threatening tone of the messages, as letters from his office don’t harass or intimidate people.
Letterheads might contain an official-sounding line like “District Court Final Warning.” The tell recipients they are being investigated for fraud, or “Theft by Deception” or that they are in “Violation of Banking Regulations.” The object is to make the recipient panic and send money by calling phone numbers of the scam artists. Most of the numbers are to places overseas and some of the fraudsters demand payment through Paypal.
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The Attorney General issued a statement that all instances of fraud should be reported to his office and can be registered by phone at 1-800-771-7755.
This follows on the heels of another scam the Attorney General has his eye on; he wants fake herbal remedies removed from the shelves after an investigation showed that only 21% had the active ingredient advertised on the label. Wal-Mart was the worst offender, stocking herbal remedy jars with only 4% of the stated herb in the pills.
