CNB CRIME: Cape May County Authorities Warn Residents of Wire Fraud Scam
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Cape May Court House, New Jersey (January 25) – Cape May County Prosecutor Robert L. Taylor would like to warn the public of a recent Wire Fraud Scam impacting the entire Cape May County area.
During the month of January 2017, members of the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, as well as members of multiple municipal police departments in the County, have received complaints of wire transfer fraud immediately following the closing on a settlement of a home. It is believed that, during the course of a closing settlement, an individual involved in the settlement will receive a phishing email. This email allows a virus to be placed on the user’s computer and the hacker then proceeds to monitor the activity on that computer. During the transaction, it will alert the hacker and prompt the hacker to begin exploiting the data on the computer. A fraudulent email address is then created that appears almost identical to the email it is impersonating, and the hacker begins communications with the involved parties, instructing them to change the payment methods in the settlement to a wire transfer. The transfer of money from the settlement is then wired to a fraudulent account.
Prosecutor Taylor would like to warn the public to practice extreme caution when conducting a business transaction involving a wire transfer. It is recommended that confirmation be made between all involved parties via a method other than electronic communication.
Prosecutor Taylor urges anyone who has information concerning this type of Wire Fraud or any illegal activity within the community to report it to the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-465-1135, or anonymously through the Cape May County Sheriff’s Tip Line at cmcsheriff.net or through the Cape May County Crime Stoppers, 609-465-2800.