Bend Police report major surge in scam emails, calls, $400K in losses; offer tips to avoid becoming a victim

BEND, Ore, (KTVZ) -- Bend police warned businesses, nonprofits and individuals Monday about a major increase in scam emails and calls that have ripped off area residents for hundreds of thousands of dollars while reminding of steps everyone can take to cut the risk of becoming the next victim.

Here's their full announcement from Bend Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller. We're speaking with ll have a report tonight on NewsChannel 21:

The Bend Police Department would like to alert local businesses and community members to two types of scams we are frequently seeing reported.   

These scams follow two fact patterns. 

In the first scam, of which we’ve received reports dating back to 2022, local businesses and nonprofits are targeted. A company email is unknowingly hacked, and the scammer initiates email communication with the local business while impersonating a known vendor or contractor. In multiple cases, the scammer has used an email address that is virtually identical to the vendor’s email address, but with one letter changed. 

The scammer then contacts the local business posing as the vendor, with an invoice or payment request, and the local business wires the funds or sends a check to a new account. 

In these cases, victims have lost at least $400,000, and we believe there are additional victims who have not reported these incidents to law enforcement. These cases can be difficult to investigate, as the money is typically wired to an offshore account, leaving our office with little suspect information.  

The other common scam our officers are seeing features a scammer calling a local business or an individual and pretending to be someone in a position of power: a manager, company owner or bank employee, for example. The scammer directs the victim to remove money from an account, a safe or other place where money is secured in the store and directs them to put those funds in a Bitcoin account. This has similarly resulted in losses of thousands of dollars for victims. 

So far this year, our agency has taken at least 361 reports of scams and fraud attempts, a significant increase over past years. We don’t want you to be a victim. A few reminders: 

• Law enforcement and other federal agencies will never call or email you demanding money. Banks will not ask you to wire money as part of a fraud investigation. Do not transfer money into Bitcoin or other online apps at the behest of any agency or business. 
• Likewise, legitimate groups do not request payment in the form of gift cards. 
• Never give personal information like a social security number or a bank account number over the phone or via email. A banking institution will not ask for these things. 
• Trust your gut. If the caller is rushing you, making you feel uncomfortable, or you just think something is off, get off the phone and call the nonemergency dispatch line at 541-693-6911. 
• Don’t believe Caller ID. Scammers can fake the number they’re calling from or a name or company you may recognize. 
• If the person who calls or texts you claims to be a manager or company owner, tell them you’ll need to call them back. That will buy you time and allow you to contact your immediate supervisor. You won’t inconvenience them; you may save them a lot of money. 

Have you been the victim of a scam? You can file a complaint with the FBI at www.IC3.gov.