(BBB)
Scammers love to impersonate people, businesses, and government agencies. Impatient scammers are now turning to couriers to steal money from victims of fraud faster. The St. Louis Consumer Fraud Task Force (CFTF) warns consumers to be aware of courier scams.
Instead of waiting for the consumer to send them cash or gift cards, scammers are going right to the source, knocking on your door to pick up money and precious metals. Couriers usually are dressed in plain clothes and arrive in normal-looking vehicles. Victims are often told to use a code word or phrase, which the victim might choose, or the victim might be provided a photo to show the courier. These transactions may also occur away from the victim’s home in public parking lots.
Consumers have reported to task force members that couriers have been used in many common scams, including tech support, government impersonation, and the grandparent scam. The scammers may claim the consumer’s computer has been used in illegal activities, and they need to pay money to avoid prosecution. Scammers may also tell consumers that their bank accounts may be at risk of being hacked and that they must liquidate their assets into cash or precious metals.
Scammers may act as friends of a family member in dire need of help. They then will visit your residence to pick up cash to “help” the family member.
Some victims also report being instructed to deposit funds at virtual currency kiosks. Victims are asked to do things they don’t normally do, like download unfamiliar apps to their phones or go to unfamiliar websites on a computer. Communication between the scammer and the victim is frequent. If you are told to keep something a secret, something is wrong.
From May to December 2023, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center saw an increase in the number of courier scams reported to it, with $55 million in losses reported.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri recently indicted seven California residents on several felony counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy, and identity theft.
According to the indictment, the group committed several crimes, including an August 2023 incident when they told an elderly Missouri man that his computer was infected with a virus. The man and his wife were told someone had been accessing child pornography through the computer, and they had to pay $88,000 to avoid prosecution. The couple got the money from their bank but became suspicious and contacted police, who arrested one of the group members.
The Task Force recommends consumers learn about the latest frauds and tips to protect themselves and help their loved ones avoid courier scams:
- Protect your personal information. Never disclose your home address or agree to meet with unknown individuals to deliver cash or precious metals.
- Think before you click. Never click on unsolicited pop-up ads on your computer, links sent via text messages, or links or attachments sent in emails.
- Know who you are calling. Never call unknown telephone numbers provided in pop-up messages, texts, or emails. If you need to contact a company or organization, find a legitimate number for whom you need to contact. Scammers can easily spoof the phone numbers of legitimate organizations and businesses, including the financial institutions that victims use.
- Keep your computer and phone safe. Never download software at the request of unknown individuals who contact you. Never allow someone you do not know to have remote access to your computer. If you believe something is wrong with your computer, take it to a trusted source to be inspected. Never download phone apps at the request of someone you don’t know.
- Report the bad actors. You can report courier scams to BBB ScamTracker, the FTC, FBI, local law enforcement and your state’s attorney general. The earlier you report the activity, the better.
The Task Force, formed in October 2002, is a coalition of local, state, and federal government agencies and nonprofit business and consumer groups in Missouri and Illinois that work together to protect consumer and donor rights and guard against fraud. The group has issued news alerts about predatory payday loan offers, tax scams, timeshare fraud, credit repair and foreclosure scams, bogus sweepstakes, internet sweetheart scams, phony grant scams, home remodeling, elder fraud, payment scams, and a variety of other issues.
For information or to report a scam, contact members of the Task Force:
- Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern and Southwest Missouri and Southern Illinois – (888) 996-3887; BBB.org/scamstudies; BBB.org/scamtracker
- Federal Trade Commission – (877) FTC-HELP (382-4357); www.ftc.gov
- Federal Bureau of Investigations - (314) 589-2500
- Illinois Attorney General – (800) 243-0618; www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov
- Illinois Secretary of State - Securities Department - 800-628-7937
- Missouri Attorney General – (800) 392-8222; www.ago.mo.gov
- St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department - (314) 231-1212; www.slmpd.org
- U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Missouri – (314) 539-2200; www.usdoj.gov/usao/moe
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service – (877) 876-2455; postalinspectors.uspis.gov
- U.S. Secret Service – (314) 539-2238; www.secretservice.gov
