Local Residents Warned to Beware of Scammers

BLOOMING GROVE- A Queens man has been arrested after he allegedly defrauded an elderly couple out of $9,900, State Police from the Monroe barracks said. Masud Rana, 33, was charged with grand larceny, arraigned, and released on an appearance ticket. The 82-year-old Blooming Grove couple’s money was recovered and returned to them. On October 1, the couple received an email from PayPal stating that they were charged $346.12 for an antivirus protection plan for their computer.  They didn’t have a PayPal account, nor did they subscribe to any type of antivirus protection plan. They called the number in the email and spoke to a “customer service representative” who told them to pay a fee of $200 to reverse the antivirus subscription charges. As they attempted to pay the charge, they mistakenly transferred $20,000 through an application they were told to download. They let the scammer know they had mistakenly transmitted $20,000 and were told they would reverse the charge if Rana was paid $9,900 in person. The Council on Aging provides several tips to protect from scams.  First, they recommend never giving your credit card, banking, Social Security, Medicare, or other personal information over the phone unless you initiated the call.  Second, they recommend telling solicitors: “I never buy from (or give to) anyone who calls or visits me unannounced.  Send me something in writing.” It is also a good practice to shred all receipts with your credit card number and use direct deposit for benefit checks to prevent checks from being stolen from the mailbox.  Finally, it’s always a good idea to be skeptical of all unsolicited offers.