Second Bend restaurant falls victim to overnight phone scammers — to the tune of over $3,000
(Update: Adding Redmond restaurant scam call, fruitless subsequent attempts)
Police warn public, advise businesses to educate their workers
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – One week after a worker at one popular Bend restaurant fell victim to a sophisticated phone scam, to the tune of $2,000, an employee at another sent scammers over $3,000 in gift cards, police said Wednesday, warning the public and urging businesses to educate workers, to avoid such costly crimes.
As NewsChannel 21 reported last week, police received a report on Dec. 28 of a theft at Bangers and Brews and SW Simpson Avenue, Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller said.
A caller told an employee the business owner was being held by U.S. marshals, the restaurant was being audited and the worker needed to send $1,000 in gift cards in order to have the owner released, Miller said.
Ultimately, the employee provided $1,000 in gift cards to the scammer and another $1,000 from a personal bank account via an online app.
“The scammers spoofed the owner’s phone number and seemed to know information about the business and its employees,” Miller said in a news release.
On Wednesday, police received a report of a theft at the Shari’s North on N. Highway 97, Miller said.
In this case, the restaurant manager told police an employee got a call during the night from someone claiming to be the Shari’s corporate financial auditor.
The caller, who spoofed the district manager’s phone number, claimed the restaurant had received counterfeit bills, and the Internal Revenue Service was conducting an audit and needed gift cards, Miller said.
The caller told the worker to empty the cash register and buy gift cards with the money, then mail them to “an IRS address,” the police spokeswoman said. A total of $3,070 in gift cards were sent to the scammer, he added.
While police continue to investigate the crimes, Miller said they also “urge local businesses to educate employees (to) know that organizations and governmental agencies will not call to ask for money, especially via gift cards, to end an audit, arrest or other event.”
And it's not just happening in Bend.
Redmond police received a report on Nov. 21 of a theft at Cold Stone Creamery on SW Canal Boulevard, Lt. Jesse Petersen said.
A caller told an employee they were part of a government agency and convinced the worker to take cash from the business to purchase gift cards, which were transfered to the caller in the amount of $317, he said.
The caller was unsuccessful in extorting more money from the employee, despite threatening to have police arrest them, Petersen said.
The same caller tried ripping off the same business twice more, once on Nov. 30, claiming they were with the "State Police Department" and threatening the worker with arrest if they didn't provide funds. The same caller tried again on Dec. 30, again without success, despite threatening the worker with arrest, Petersen said.
