BOARDMAN Township police probe scams, say to be careful

Police urge shoppers to be cautious.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- It's the season for good cheer, celebration, family, friends -- and unscrupulous thieves waiting to deceive the unsuspecting out of hard-earned cash.
Township police are investigating several confidence scams and attempted scams over the past several weeks. One woman told police she lost more than $10,000 in cash and personal possessions to a couple of con artists.
According to police reports, a 37-year-old Canfield woman was leaving the Sparkle supermarket on Market Street in the early afternoon Nov. 24 when a woman who called herself Kiko Mangola from Africa asked for assistance in finding a church where she could donate $100,000. For the help, reports say, the woman offered the Canfield resident $50,000 that could also be donated to a charity.
Reports say the two women were looking for a phone book to look up a church when Mangola stopped a passing man to ask for his assistance. Mangola promised another $50,000 to the man for his help and asked the Canfield woman to read a letter -- Mangola claimed she could not read English -- which said she had inherited $300,000, most of which she intended to give to charity.
Wanted to see money
According to reports, Mangola told the Canfield woman that she would only give her and the man $50,000 if it would be donated to charity. She demanded proof that each had money of their own and did not need the cash.
The man went to a township bank and produced cash he claimed to have just withdrawn. The Canfield woman went to her bank and withdrew $4,000. The Canfield woman said Mangola claimed it was African ritual to pray over the money, as well as her rings and any other money she had on her at the time.
Mangola, reports say, took the money and said a prayer, then placed the money in an envelope in the Canfield woman's glove box. She said the additional $50,000 was also in the envelope. The Canfield woman later checked the envelope and found only cut up newspaper.
Boardman police Capt. Jack Nichols said the Canfield woman was scammed in what is commonly referred to as a pigeon drop -- scams in which the victims put up "good faith" money in the false hope of sharing the proceeds of an apparent large sum of cash or items. He said the township is looking into a similar situation and about three attempted scams by telephone, but there may be more.
"I would guess that a good portion of the people who get taken in a pigeon-drop type of situation are just so embarrassed that they may not even bother to call the police," he said.
Phone scams
The phone scams usually involve a phone call where the caller will say the resident has won some type of lottery and must pay the shipping and insurance via credit card to get the prize, Nichols said.
In some cases, the caller will claim to be wealthy and in need of financial help to regain the fortune -- a fortune he or she will share with the resident, he said.
"A general rule of thumb is to never give your credit card number over the phone to someone who calls your house and asks for it," Nichols said.
Scam artists tend to target the elderly more often than any other demographic, but those crimes go up during the holiday season as well as identity theft and theft in general, Nichols said. Fake checks and stolen credit cards also have been a problem, he said.
According to Nichols, many thieves are buying check-making software and making fake checks. Others simply steal a credit card out of a purse or locker at a business and have a shopping spree before the owner even knows the card is gone, he said.
Police have consistently warned residents to be cautious of their surroundings, park in well-lighted areas, take only the credit cards needed and never leave purses or wallets unattended in shopping carts while shopping in the township's many stores.
Police also say it is good practice to keep money and credit cards separate from purses and wallets.
As for the confidence scams, Lt. Don Hawkins, Boardman police, said it is important to remember that "you don't get something for nothing."
He said anyone approached with something that sounds too good to be true or just a little fishy should call police immediately and try to get a license plate number.
jgoodwin@vindy.com