Popular Scams

City of Miami Springs Florida Official Website

Thieves Say All the Right Things to Make You Fall for a Scam

 

Below are various scams thieves use to try and separate you from your money. Thieves will try these scams on all types of people. However, they know senior citizens, who are usually more trusting, are especially good targets for their scams. It is so important to educate oneself so you will be able to recognize the red flags if contacted by a potential scammer and it may help prevent you from becoming a victim.  While not every scam is listed here most scams have certain things, we call them red flags, that usually do not change regardless of the scam. 

Potential Red Flags:

*Sense of urgency to pay

*Threat of arrest, harm to a loved one etc.

*Don't allow you to speak with others before sending money

*Must pay with non-traceable forms of payment

*Too good to be true

*They tell you information that can't possibly be publicly available ( There is a lot of personal information that is publicly available)

*They initiated the call and ask you to provide information such as social security number, banking information, credit card numbers, etc.

If you know any senior citizens please direct them to this page or share this information with them. At the bottom of the page is the link to the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging's Fraud Book. It has a lot of good information for seniors that can't all be posted here. Please click on the link to read.

Telephone Scams

Your telephone rings, the number on the caller I.D. shows Florida Power and Light (F.P.L.), and the person on the other end says they are from F.P.L.  They say you have not paid your bill and unless they receive the money right away your power will be turned off very soon. They say you need to get a Green Dot Money Pak card or some other none traceable credit card. STOP, F.P.L. or any other reputable company will never call to threaten you nor will they ask you to pay via only a non-traceable credit card or wire transfer.  These should be red flags and cause you to stop and think.  Never give out personal or financial information to anyone unless you yourself have initiated the telephone call. 

Kidnapping Scam

The caller may say your daughter/grandchild etc. has been kidnapped and you hear a voice screaming in the background. Callers typically provide the victim with specific instructions to ensure their family member is returned safely. The scammer will try to keep you on the telephone until they receive the money. Usually, they request a wire transfer, gift cards, or a pre-paid credit card.

Pretend to Be the Police and Threaten Arrest

Scam artists are calling people claiming to be a detective or a supervisor from the Miami Springs Police Department. They tell the person, who answers the telephone, they are investigating a criminal case against them. One recent victim advised they were told they had been visiting websites that exploit underage girls. The victim advised they have never visited any such websites. The calls appear to be from 305-888-9711, our main number. Immediate payment is demanded to drop the case.

The scammers usually ask for money via an untraceable form of payment including but not limited to: Money Gram, Western Union, gift cards, pre-paid credit cards, and money-sharing apps such as Zelle, Venmo, and PayPal.

Members of the Miami Springs Police Department would never request money of any kind. Please hang up and call the police. Never send money to anyone you do not know. If someone calls you demanding payment of any kind, find the telephone number of the place they are calling from. Don’t take the number they give you. Call the business/person/agency and inquire if the call is legitimate before proceeding forward.

If anyone has any information or needs assistance call the Miami Springs Police at 305-888-9711.

Distraction Thieves and How They Operate

The thieves act as if they know the resident or are there on official business and then enter the home.  They distract the elderly person while another thief searches the house for property to take. 

Burglars will sometimes work as a team to distract you and make you a victim.  A common practice is to pose as a roofer or a contractor.  The "professional" will find a reason to draw you out of your home and keep you outside, such as to show you some damage that they can repair or some work they suggest can be done.  While they keep you outside, one or more people enter the house and go through the bedrooms looking for smaller items to take such as cash and jewelry.  Most times, victims will not even realize a crime occurred until after the burglars are long gone.  Any telephone numbers they gave to be contacted for the "work" is usually fake as well.

Lottery Winner Scam

This con game has been going on since the lottery was instituted in the state. The fake lottery winner scam is usually pulled on Spanish-speaking victims but some victims were English-only speakers. Over the years, the scam has been pulled numerous times in the downtown Miami Springs area, usually in the area of the grocery store.

Here's the way it works: A Hispanic man (or a woman in a few cases) will approach a target and say that he has just won the multi-million dollar Florida Lottery. He will show a counterfeit winning ticket and say that he can’t collect his winnings because he’s an illegal alien. While he is pitching his line, another person (a man or woman) will stop by and join in the conversation. The second person is an accomplice. The so-called lottery winner will offer to share his millions with anyone who will put up “good-faith” money.

The con man’s accomplice will readily agree in order to encourage the victim to do the same. Once the target in convinced to put up money to share in the millions, the two crooks will accompany the victim home and to the bank to gather all the cash he or she can acquire. The cons will usually convince the victim to use his or her car for the trip to the bank. Once the criminals see the money, they will tell the victim to put it into an envelope, allegedly with the cash put up by the accomplice.

Using the distraction, the cons will switch envelopes and then make an excuse to get out of the car and say that they will return shortly. When the victim tires of waiting, he or she will find nothing but the paper inside the envelope. Lottery scammers mainly target Hispanic middle-aged people and senior citizens. Unfortunately, few swindlers are ever caught, and police believe that some victims don’t report the crime because they are embarrassed.

Unlicensed Contractors

In these tough economic times, it’s difficult turning down a bargain but unlicensed contractors should be avoided because they are known for doing shoddy work or not completing the job. The way to avoid becoming a victim is to ask the contractor for credentials. A professional contractor should have no problem providing identification and license numbers. An added protection would be to write down a contractor’s vehicle tag number and take a photo of the man or woman. Those things might make homeowners uncomfortable but residents should stick to their requirements. Be mindful that illegitimate contractors will have alleged reasons for not providing proof: they haven’t received their license yet, they just applied the day before, or they don’t carry it with them. Not good enough. Protect yourself by checking things out. Always check the license of a company or individual by logging onto www.myflorida.com/licensee or calling the Department of Business and Professional Regulation at 850-487-1395. When Online Type in the name of the individual, company, or license number. If there is no license, report the person or company by calling: 866-532-1440. Don't believe stories according to the regulatory agency, if there is a license, it will appear on the website. A website check will tell you if the license is current and in good standing. Also, complaints and disciplinary actions are public record.

Remember to always get everything in writing, including a detailed description of any work to be done. Make sure the writing is legible. Do not sign a certificate of completion unless you are totally satisfied with the work.

Thefts at Gas Pumps

The crime of stealing purses from vehicles at gas stations are a common occurrence. Here’s the way it works: A woman is busy pumping gas when a person pulls up next to her car, opens the opposite door, or reaches into an open window, and grabs the woman’s purse. Then the thief drives away. Sometimes criminals work in pairs, and while one distracts the victim usually with a question, his accomplice steals the purse. In a few instances, victims were men who had left a wallet or bank bag on the front seat. Locking your car while at the gas pumps is a deterrent but in a few instances, a thief broke a window to steal a purse while the victim was inside the service station/convenience store. Besides the monetary loss, a stolen purse or wallet means you have to get new identification, driver’s license, checkbook, in addition to canceling credit cards and having your locks changed if keys were in the purse. The key to avoiding becoming a victim is to lock your car and not let yourself become distracted.

Romance Scams:

All types of people, including senior citizens, use the Internet to find romance or even just companionship. The scammers, many of who live outside of the United States, know this and will say what they have to in order to gain the trust of their victims. Just because a website is for people of a specific faith, age group, etc. doesn't stop the scammer. Remember, they will let you think what you want to think and if you start to challenge them they will move on to the next target. The scam goes something like this: The person contacts you online or vice-versa and starts a conversation. Basically, they are testing the water to see if you are a good target. If the online conversation continues over the next few days they slowly start to show how much they care for you and soon tell you they love you and want to be with you. Then there is the catch, they can't because they are stuck in a foreign country and don't have access to their money. They need your help and you are the only person who can help them. They ask you to send money via Western Union, MoneyGram, or similar type company so they can bribe the guard, pay taxes, pay a debt, etc. If you send them the money they keep coming up with different scenarios to keep the money coming. If they do speak with you over the phone many times they have an accent that is not American even though they say they are from the States. They never refer to you by name only baby, honey, or some other term of endearment.  The scam will continue until the money stops. Even if you question them at this point there is always an excuse for why they can't get to you.