web1_BLOTTER.jpg

Berwick police arrest two in heroin investigation

web1_TTL11xx15BabyFrankenstein2.jpg

Wyoming Valley is film studio for production of “Baby Frankenstein”

<p>THORNHURST &#8212; Police said an apparent scam caller confessed his wrongdoing after the target of his scam began to cry.</p><p>Police said a 42-year-old Thornhurst woman recently received a call from an individual pretending to be with the IRS.</p><p>During the call the victim received a second call from a man who said he was a member of a Washington, D.C., police department and spoke of a warrant for her arrest regarding mistakes on previous IRS filings.</p><p>Police said this combination of calls added credibility to the original caller and the victim eventually sent $1,500 to an account to satisfy the IRS&#8217; supposed threats.</p><p>The caller then attempted to scam for additional state taxes and while discussing that issue the victim again received a call from a woman pretending to be a local law enforcement officer. The female again talked of a warrant for state tax issues.</p><p>At that point the victim began crying and the original male caller confessed the entire issue was a scam and he hung up the phone.</p><p>Scammers have sophisticated technology to impersonate callers as well as caller ID numbers that create a sense of legitimacy to their scams, police said.</p><p>Police also urged residents to not provide any personal information or send any money to anyone who makes contact with them via phone. Legitimate issues are typically handled in person and identity checks with respective agencies are a must to prevent further victimization.</p><p>At the request of the victim, the name is being withheld.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_BLOTTER69.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_BLOTTER69.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>

Phone scammer allegedly confessed his crime to Thornhurst woman after conning her out of $1,500