The bad news, says Lt. Tory Jacobson, is that electronic schemes and scams are attacking Moorhead residents every single day, just as they are in every other corner of America.
Even worse news: Police can do frustrating little to combat them.
“It’s incredibly difficult to track these criminals down,” Tory concedes. Even with a full-time officer, Detective Joel Voxland, assigned full-time to help investigate crimes that include an electronic component, the Internet means that it’s “very, very rare,” in Tory’s words, to catch up with perpetrators who could literally be anywhere on earth – and even more unlikely that money lost by their victims will ever be recovered.
The sheer number of scams abetted by technology – both online and on the telephone – has exploded. The only real defense, the MPD spokesman warns, is individuals’ own caution,suspicion and self-protective steps.
“There’s no turning back now,” he says. “It’s the reality of the world we liv in, and it’s not going to get better.” He says Moorheaders lose tens of thousands of dollars in these scams every year … a total that’s impossible for the department to even estimate, since many are too embarrassed to even report their losses.
These scams are nothing new. The phone rings, and a disembodied voice on a weak phone connection asks, “Grandma? Can you help me?” If the caller finds a willing and good-hearted “mark,” he or she uses whatever the victim says to spin a credible tale of a loved one in trouble. “Please send money to get me out of jail, the caller may plead – “and don’t tell my parents.”
“What really burns me is that the kindest, most innocent people are the ones who are taken in by scams like that,” Tory observes. “Those scam calls have been around for years and years, and they still happen every day. Yet unsuspecting people – and not only the elderly – are still being taken in by con artists who are incredibly good at ‘playing’ them.”
Countless variations make the rounds: The “utility company rep” who claims that, if you don’t pay a supposed overdue bill immediately, your power will be turned off by 5 o’clock … the “IRS spokesman” who demands you immediately remit overdue taxes by giving him your bank account or sending a prepaid gift card … and too many half-likely-sounding callers to keep track of.
No one is immune. Tory notes, “I’ve even gotten the IRS scam call myself, right here on my work phone – twice.”
No matter how sophisticated the legal tools investigators employ, the criminals can stay ahead of them. The telephone number that shows up on the recipient’s caller ID, to start with, is easily spoofed, or faked via electronic means. The most personal details that the schemer uses to make his story seem credible – “no stranger would know all that” – can be gleaned from personal information gathered and sold on the Internet. In fact, the Moorhead lieutenant recommends that everyone Google themselves to see just how much data is readily available to the public; even more details can be purchased from data marketers, both legitimate and shady.
He tells of one scheme in which a Moorhead resident lost thousands of dollars to a crafty, persuasive scammer. “We were able to track the caller’s real number from Minnesota to California through an administrative subpoena or search warrant,” he recounts. “That information showed the money went to a bank in New York. Then it went overseas– to Pakistan or Nigeria, I think — and at that point, our investigation was over. It could have bounced several more times and ended up anywhere on earth.
“To be honest, it is very, very rare when anything can be recovered. Once the criminal has the bank information or disposable credit card (like a gift card), it’s just gone.”
If truly impressive amounts are involved and victims are all over the country, he says local law enforcement may be able to involve the FBI. But their success rate, too, is “pretty miserable.”
Instead of counting on law enforcement to track down the scammers, Tory warns, the key to avoiding these crimes is self-defense. It’s largely up to individuals to safeguard their personal and financial information and to protect themselves.
“Always be suspicious if you get a call that asks for any kind of payment on the spot,” he emphasizes. “Almost no legitimate businesses or agencies will call you out of the blue to demand payment. If you do get a call along those lines, get as much information as you can. Then hang up and place a call yourself to check it out.” The names of legitimate businesses and agencies, like Moorhead Public Service and Excel Energy, have been used in local extortion scams. “Be very, very skeptical and cautious,” he recommends.
One of the most devastating kinds of cyber and electronic crimes involves identity theft – again, a not-uncommon situation here in Moorhead, as in every other locale. Tory urges residents to keep a close eye on credit accounts. “Get a free annual credit report,” he says, pointing toward the Federal Trade Commission’s free service annualcreditreport.com. “It won’t prevent identity theft, but it’ll let you know if someone has taken out accounts in your name so that you can deal with it.”
Electronic scams have become so common, and so unlikely to be solvable, that he recommends citizens report them in two different ways, depending on whether or not they’ve been financially victimized.
“If you didn’t fall for that scam and haven’t lost any money, we suggest that you document what happened online,” Tory advises. To make an online report, go to the form on the Police Department’s website: cityofmoorhead.com/departments/police/citizen-resources/make-a-police-report
If you’ve lost money, he recommends reporting the crime in person, like any other. But he cautions against too much optimism because “recovery under these circumstances is very, very rare.”
“These incidents are almost too commonplace to investigate, given the countless demands placed on our detectives,” he conceded. “There’s some kind of cyber component in all kinds of crimes, from child trafficking ads to craigslist.com scams, not to mention electronic evidence on cellphones and computers that’s an element of more traditional investigations of drug dealing and selling stolen goods. With limited resources at our disposal, we do everything we can, but there’s a limit.”
In sum, he says, lawenforcement agencies like his now face a deeper, broader and ever-evolving challenge fighting digitally enabled crime: “For all of us, it’s pretty overwhelming.”
