(Woodland, CA) December 22, 2022 – The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office has been receiving an increased number of reports from potential victims, about scammers who are impersonating friends and loved ones in an effort to scam them out of money. During the frenzy of the holiday season, scammers are taking advantage of how busy people are, and using it to take advantage of them.
In the most recent instance, a senior Yolo County resident received an email from a known friend. The “friend’s” email asked if the targeted victim was familiar with purchasing Amazon gift cards on-line, and if she could send a gift to a relative on their behalf, as they were unfamiliar with how to make the on-line purchase. The “friend” said that she would repay the targeted victim. Luckily, the targeted victim called the actual person whose name was used in the scam email to confirm the request. The genuine friend verified that she did not make the request. Her email account had been spoofed by a scammer.
It is important to know that once your money is gone, it is very unlikely you will ever get it back. If one of your friends or acquaintances asks for something even slightly unusual, or asks you to click on a link within an email, please contact them directly to determine the legitimacy of the request.
You can report suspicious emails, phone calls or text messages directly to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office via email at: Fraud@YoloDA.org or you may contact the Fraud Hotline at 1-855-496-5632.
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