Scams

The Bank Examiner 

The bank examiner scam is one of the most popular financial scams.  This crime involves a con artist posing as bank security, a bank examiner or any other financial official.  The criminals prey on trusting citizens and will ask you to help catch a dishonest teller working at your local bank. The con artist will ask you to meet him or her after you have withdrawn money from a given account.  They’ll then ask you to hand over the cash and give you a phony receipt.  You are assured that all of your money will be placed back in the bank with this receipt, which is never true since bank examiners would never ask to use your money in an investigation. 

If you or someone you know ever receives a call or solicitation that sounds similar to the bank examiner scam, it is important that you call the Kenner Police Department to report the crime.   

International Lottery Scams 

Scam operators all over the world design bogus lotteries in an effort to get U.S. consumers to send them money.  The scam begins when the victim receives a telephone call or a letter in the mail stating that they have won a large sum of money.  All the victim needs to do to claim the prize is to pay the lottery company a small percentage of the winnings so that the funds can be released.  It is a scam.  DO NOT give out your bank account number, credit card number or any other personal information. 

Solicitations made by international lottery companies violate federal law.  It is also against the law to participate in a foreign lottery.  If you receive what looks like something from a foreign lottery company, give it to your local postmaster.   

Miscellaneous Telephone Scams 

Con artists use a variety of ways to deceive their victims, and the telephone is one of the most popular methods of doing so.  One such scam, where an unknown subject calls regarding an outstanding credit card balance, is becoming more and more common in the metro area.  The victims in these scams are usually senior citizens. 

What typically happens is that the caller will advise the victim of a large, unpaid balance and offer to make the problem go away if the victim will pay them a certain amount.  They’ll offer to meet the victim someplace or call back after giving the victim time to think about it.  If you believe you’ve been contacted by a con artist, report them to the Kenner Police Department immediately.   

The Shell Game 

The shell game, or hidden ball game, has been around for generations yet still continues to lure victims into giving up money.  The scam begins when an individual approaches the victim and asks them if they want to play a fun game.  This individual, called the tosser, will present three shells or cups, a small board of some type and a ball.   

The tosser will place the ball under one of the cups, switch their positions several times, and ask the victim to locate the ball.  To gain the victim’s confidence, the tosser will allow the victim to win a game or two, and tell them that they could have won some money.  Then the tosser will pull out some cash to show the victim what they could have won had they bet some money of their own. 

The tosser will usually be joined by a shill – an individual who poses as a spectator or another player.  The shill’s job is to win the game and get others to play after seeing how easy it is to win.  The game, however, is a scam and there is no way to win.  Once the victim places a bet with his or her money, the con artist has already won.  The game is rigged and the victim will never be able to find the ball under the cup. 

These types of games are prevalent in populated areas, such as shopping malls.  If you witness one of these scams or become a victim yourself, notify the Kenner Police Department at once. 

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