Cedar Rapids police warn of phone, Internet scams

Cedar Rapids police on Monday warned residents to be aware of three recent scams that have been attempted in recent weeks.

Two scams were attempted over the phone, and one was through the website Craigslist.com, police said.

Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said an operation called Select Benefits, from Arizona, called one resident and asked to verify the person's unemployment benefits. The caller already had the person's basic information, including name and address, but asked for the person's unemployment number.

The woman gave out the unemployment number, but would not give them her social security number. When she asked to speak to a supervisor, the call disconnected during the transfer. Police said the phone numbers she was given were not valid numbers.

Another resident recently notified police and the Better Business Bureau after receiving a call from a man who identified himself as John Baker, from Publisher's Clearing House. The caller told her she had won $70,000, and all she needed to do to collect was send a cashier's check for $555 to an address in Jamaica. He claimed he would hand-deliver the check.

Hamblin said the caller asked several personal questions, but the woman did not give him any information and reported the call to authorities.

Police said a third scam was noticed on Craigslist.com, when a landlord attempting to list a rental property had his post hijacked. The landlord told police someone took the real listing and made changes, including lowering the rent and changing the phone number.

People who called the scam number to ask about the property were told to send the first and last month's rent to an address as deposit and set a move-in date. But when the move-in date arrives, the renter realizes it is a scam and they have lost their money.

Police suggest checking more than one listing to verify that it is legit.

As the weather warms up, police said home improvement scams will probably be on the rise. Residents are encouraged to investigate thoroughly before signing any contract.