Public Safety

Police: Beware the ‘Publishers Clearing House’ Scam — They’re Taking, Not Giving Money

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Here’s how a certain scam works that’s been offered to people in Darien, as described by a town police announcement on Thursday. Remember, you can’t lose if you don’t play:

The Darien Police Department would like to inform the public about a mail-scam that has been occurring in town. The potential victim is sent what appears to be documentation that they have won a substantial amount of money in the “Publishers Clearing House” sweepstakes. A check is included, and the recipient is instructed to contact the “claim manager” prior to cashing the check and warned not to contact anyone in regards to the prize. The amount the check is made out for is substantially higher than the amount the recipients are supposed to have won.

Public Safety
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Darien Man Fleeced Out of $4,600 in Classic Check Fraud Scheme

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If you accept a check from someone you don’t know, don’t use part of the proceeds to send money back to the stranger. No matter what the circumstances. That’s the advice police and the Federal Trade Commission give to everyone, because scamming victims this way with false checks is a longstanding problem — one that victimized a 67-year-old Darien man who runs a photography business from his home. Here’s the police account of what happened:

Someone who appeared to be a potential client of the business contacted the Darien man and offered to hire him for a job. The stranger, who called himself “Daniel Mitri,” said he would send the man a check for $4,100 for a photo shoot.

Public Safety
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Norwalk Community College Student, 18, Loses $700 in Classic Check Scam

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An 18-year-old Norwalk Community College student lost $700 last week to two men who used a classic scam, sometimes called a “fake check scam,” that’s probably several times older than the victim. The scammers knew what many people don’t: You can cash a check at your bank and walk away with the money, whether or not there’s money in the account named on that check. The bank, which doesn’t immediately check the other account, expects the bank’s customer to make up the difference if there’s insufficient funds — or no funds at all — to back up the check. On Wednesday, Nov. 29, a Fairfield man walked into Darien Police Headquarters to report the fraud.