Please, stop believin’

Over the weekend a local lady received a call from a criminal who demanded cash in order to solve a supposed problem with her electrical service with Imperial Irrigation District. The woman was persuaded to purchase several cash cards from Walgreens and use them to pay a specified amount on her account. She complied and then learned she’d been scammed, and her money was gone.

In another case, a woman was threatened by an alleged member of a criminal cartel who demanded cash presumably in return for her safety. The victim was a guest in a local hotel and was advised she was in imminent danger of being shot. No instructions were provided for the money transfer, but police logs indicate she was told to download WhatsApp on her phone. It is not clear why this demand was made. The application has been linked to malware attacks of late. It’s also possible the caller was trying to use the application to collect more information on the victim.

Fortunately, she figured out the ruse and realized the caller was trying to frighten her.

Police who arrived at the hotel were told by an employee that several similar incidents have occurred at the business recently. Although the worker told authorities customers’ personal information is not shared with anyone, the series of phone scams lead police to think the hotel’s systems might have been hacked. In the end, the victim opted to leave the hotel and return home.

These are just a couple of examples of how criminals operate in order to dupe victims out of significant chunks of cash.

Authorities have asked residents to remain vigilant to avoid becoming victims. However, suspects are still able to cheat people without regard.

On the other side of our border, things are no different. The Department of Public Safety has recorded an increase of phone scam attempts. During the first four months of the year, more than 3,400 attempts have been reported in Baja California, of which about a quarter were registered in Mexicali. In some cases, victims paid thousands of dollars.

Lawmakers in California are considering a bill introduced by state Sen. Benjamin Hueso that would force phone companies to install software to stop the socalled robocalls or calls made by criminals that use phone numbers of friends, relatives or acquaintances to cheat victims.

Regardless of whether it passes, we would do well to be more careful. That Journey song “Don’t Stop Believin’” is the opposite of good advice when you’re contacted by someone you don’t know who is asking for money.

So, for instance, if someone calls you to tell you won a raffle you never entered and requests personal information to secure your prize, you’re probably looking at a booby prize. If you’ve been paying your bills on time, and IID or someone else calls trying to collect immediately on an alleged debt, it’s probably worth getting a second opinion whether that debt is legitimate.

What one can really do to avoid becoming a victim is to stop answering calls from unknown callers. Please.