Message from Mayor Susan C. Renda

Dear Resident,

The Moreland Hills’ Police Department hosted a “Town Hall” meeting on February 26, 2019 to discuss telephone scams and internet security. Sheryl Harris of the Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs and Moreland Hills Police Lieutenant Todd Dietzel spoke and provided useful tips on how to avoid being scammed. Lt. Dietzel worked with nationally recognized internet security expert, Alex Hamerston, to compile a list of things to avoid while using the internet. Ms. Harris spoke about her experience as Director of Cuyahoga County’s Department of Consumer Affairs and described common telephone scams being perpetrated in our area. I have tried to capture the most interesting points from that meeting.  

According to Ms. Harris victims may get a phone call while surfing the web from someone posing as a representative from Microsoft, Apple, or another well-known tech company. The person on the phone says that they noticed that your computer is running slow and asks you to allow them to have remote access. The bogus company then offers to put antivirus software on your computer for a charge. The truth is you can find this software on the internet for free plus you should never allow a stranger to have unfettered access to your computer. Microsoft and Apple do not initiate calls like this. Another common phone scam occurs when someone contacts you from overseas and offers to split the profits if you help them move highly valuable goods to the U.S. They often pretend to be royalty, a missionary or a member of the U.S. military abroad. They ask for a payment and then disappear.  

Another popular scam involves sweepstakes and/or lotteries. Victims are told that they have won a prize but they have to pay “taxes,” “customs charges,” or “handling fees” before they can collect their winnings. They may even receive a “partial winnings” check to cover the fees. However, when the victim deposits the check they eventually find that it is counterfeit and they owe the bank all funds that they forwarded to the scammer. Finally, someone pretending to be a family member (usually a grandchild) calls claiming to need money to pay a fine to avoid going to jail. The perpetrator is generally crying hysterically so the victim is unsure whether it is or is not a relative.  

Scammers often ask for payment in gift cards whereas legitimate organizations never ask for that payment method. If someone asks you to pay with a gift card, you are most likely being scammed. In general don’t be rushed or scared into sending money to a scammer. When in doubt, call the police for help. If you have been scammed or even if someone attempts to scam you, you should report it to the police. According to Lt. Dietzel reporting incidents like these allow the police to help other victims. Even if they cannot get your money back, they can warn others. And remember, if someone tells you not to call the police, your first call should be to the police.  

Keep your computer software updated. Both Apple and Microsoft computers can be set to update operating systems automatically. A computer with the latest updates is less vulnerable to being hacked. Rely on your instincts; if it feels wrong, it probably is. Keep yourself informed. Use the search engine on your computer to research scams. Check the website at the Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs at consumeraffairs.cuyahogacounty.us or call 216.443.7035.  

Finally, use long passwords that are hard to guess. Consider using song lyrics or children’s rhymes such as jackspratcouldeatnofat. Choose something that is easy for you to remember but hard for a scammer to figure out.   I found this meeting extremely informative and worth my time. I hope to see you at the next one.