HYANNIS – Barnstable Police are warning of two scames. The first scam: Citizens outside of the state who responded to job postings listed on LinkedIn.com. Victims reported responding to job advertisements for a remote Transcriptionist position for state employers. Victims completed an interview questionnaire before receiving what appeared to be an Employment Agreement. Once the victims signed the employment agreement, the malicious actor would send the victim a counterfeit check for $3,000 to $5,000 via email with instructions to deposit the check into their personal bank account. The victim would then purchase assorted gift cards to include but not limited to iTunes, Amex, and Google Play, and send the card information back to the malicious actor before the check deposit fully cleared.
A second scam: People are receiving calls from what they believe is Barnstable District court, stating she was listed as a character witness on a case and did not appear, so she was being fined approximately $1,500 for not showing up. The caller was requesting payment over the phone. When the victim mentioned that they are getting a lawyer the caller hung up, there phone number ID was blocked.
