Fraudsters have been targeting Latinos in the area in a new type of elaborate phone scam where several individuals pose as lawyers or similar and demand payment through gift card codes and wire transfers.
Residents of East Marion, Greenport and Riverhead have reported this type of scam to local police during the last few months. Southold Anti-Bias Task Force co-chairperson Sonia Spar said many other local Latino residents have fallen prey but have not reported it for fear of being reported to immigration authorities.
“This is a community that is sometimes isolated and prefers to keep to themselves because of fear, especially now with so many changes happening in the immigration process,” she said.
“This could have been going on a lot more than we know, it is very important for victims to report scams,” said Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley.
In one case a victim had to wire money in $350 increments to Peru to pay for English books that scammers said belonged to U.S. social workers; in another case somebody called from a 911 phone number telling victims to send them money or they would be reported to immigration. In the end, no matter the twist, Spar said the focus of this particular scam has been Spanish- speaking immigrants who are undocumented and speak little to no English.
Scammers may have obtained the victims’ information from a local business or a local person’s phone directory, which is why they targeted specific individuals in the area, Spar said.
“Rosa,” a local resident who immigrated from Guatemala 10 years ago, and one of the victims who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to her legal status, said the experience had “changed her.”
“It was one of the most frightening experiences of my life, but also one of the most eye-opening,” she said.
It all started when she received a phone call one day from a California phone number. She was the lucky winner of a contest she had never known existed —the caller said a friend, whom Rosa knew, had registered her — and, because she didn’t speak English, she would be the recipient of a set of English books and DVD’s worth thousands of dollars. They said they would send it to her by mail, no questions asked.
Rosa couldn’t believe her luck.
After a month or so, the same people called her asking her about the course. She told them she had not received it yet. The caller’s tone changed quickly and they said they may have a problem. It was very important Rosa spoke to their lawyer. Rosa said she was “transferred” to a woman who claimed was a lawyer and spoke in “legal terms.” The woman said Rosa was liable for $15,000, the price of the course. The books had been sent to Rosa, the woman said, and therefore, she was responsible for them. She had to pay a fine or she would be reported to immigration authorities.
The next day Rosa said the threats escalated: a warrant had been issued for Rosa’s arrest, the lawyer said. They only way to solve the problem was to pay an $800 fine, and all would be well again. The only caveat, the woman said, is the payment had to be made by buying and giving them the codes of eight $100 gift cards, and it had to happen in the next 30 minutes.
To anybody else this decision would have been a quick one, choosing to go to the police to report such a crime, or at least to ask about the supposed imminent arrest. In Rosa’s mind, however, that simple action meant exposing herself — and her family — to local authorities. Because she is undocumented she felt that talking to the police could have possible life-altering ramifications for her that would have put her in a direct course to deportation.
It is this irrational fear, born of desperation and lack of knowledge, that scammers and fraudsters exploit, Spar said.
“We know members of the Latino community are afraid to go to the police, especially now, but they have to know that the police departments in the area are very interested in protecting and serving all members of the community equally. It is very important for the police that the community trusts them and to establish a good communication,” she said.
“In any kind of scam it is always good to report it so we have an idea of what’s going on and we can alert the public and prevent it from happening to somebody else,” Flatley said.
For Rosa however, it didn’t matter that she was being targeted precisely because she was vulnerable and didn’t speak English, Rosa said she was terrified of putting her and her family in the path of immigration authorities, which is why she didn’t call the police. She also said it didn’t matter that the money she was being asked to spend was “rent money.” All that mattered to her that day, as she stood crying between the shampoo and makeup aisles in a local pharmacy where she went to buy the gift cards, was to keep her family safe by continuing to stay in the somewhat safer “shadows.”
“I was so afraid in that moment that I would have done anything they asked,” recalled Rosa.
Spar said that it is very important for Latinos to feel safe in order to report crimes. The Southold and Riverhead Police Departments have officers that are fluent Spanish speakers and can assist victims right away, she said.
She also said that “Southold Town Police Department has not entered into any agreement with the federal government to do any immigration work and they will not arrest any undocumented person [without a judicial warrant].”
“All members of the community have to know that if they report a crime they are the victims and police officers will never delve into their immigration status, they will be treated strictly as victims of a crime,” Flatley said.
Fortunately for Rosa, her story had a happy ending. With the 30 minutes almost up, Rosa called everybody she knew, desperate for advice, until one of her friends told her the same thing had happened to her.
“They are liars and fraudsters,” Rosa said her friend told her. “Don’t fall for it. We did, and the only thing that happened was that they stole our money,” her friend said.
Her friend’s words gave Rosa the resolve she needed that day and when her phone started ringing after the 30 minutes had passed, she ignored the calls. A few days later when the same California number showed up on her phone screen, she answered, and when they told her they were waiting for the money or else, she told them she was going to call the police and that she needed their information. The callers hang up and never called her again.
“In any type of situation like this, first of all, report it to your local police department and second, never send money for something you receive over the phone,” said Flatley.
“I have learned to trust my instincts,” Rosa said. “I would tell other people that is experiencing the same situation to call the police and not to be afraid, we have to trust each other,” she said.
