The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

February 3, 2010

UPDATE: Internet fraud dupes woman

Thought she knew person on Facebook

By Courtney L. Anderson

SHARON — Sharon police warn people to be wary of Internet fraud after a local woman was scammed out of more than $1,300 through contact on a social-networking site.

A 57-year-old Sharon woman reported the fraud to police on Jan. 31.

While on Facebook, the popular Web site that allows “friends” to share photos and communicate, the woman was contacted by someone she believed was an old friend’s daughter, police said.

However the daughter’s account had been hacked and while it appeared to be her chatting with the victim, it wasn’t, police said. The young woman no longer had access to her own account and just assumed it was a computer glitch, police said.

Through Facebook’s instant-message feature, the women talked and after brief pleasantries, the alleged “friend” told the Sharon woman that she was in London and had been robbed at gunpoint, police said.

Whoever was posing as the girl said her cash, credit cards and cell phone had been stolen. She still had her passport, but had no money to get back home, the scammer said.

So the Sharon woman offered to wire money to help the person and sent $720 and was charged a $56 fee to do so.

The person later contacted the woman and said it wasn’t quite enough for a ticket home so the Sharon woman transferred another $500 to London, for which she was charged a $43 fee.

Police caution people about sending any money to anyone who contacts them via the Internet. They suggest not taking anything at face value and verifying the story through some method other than e-mail or networking sites.

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