The fraudulent e-mails being sent from the Sinclairville Free Library's old Hotmail account are still circulating, and escalating to a new level, according to the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Department.
Lt. John Crossley contacted The Post-Journal on Friday, and explained that the scammer who once insisted on money being sent via Western Union is now begging for payments to a physical address in London.
"People need to be cautious whenever they receive either an e-mail or a piece of physical mail asking them for money," he said. "If it's from someone you don't know, especially from a foreign place, never send anything. If it seems to be from someone you know, verify that it is indeed them."
Although no one has reportedly fell for the scheme being orchestrated in the name of Beth Hadley, the Sinclairville library manager, with hundreds of e-mails being sent each day, the possibility exists.
E-mail scams are not new and have existed since the early days of the Internet. But with time, they change and progress, becoming more believable although there are certain things people can look for that might signal fraud. Among these signs are poor use of the English language, a solicitation from a total stranger, especially one of foreign descent, and if an offer seems to good to be true. If you receive an offer that requires you to send any amount of money to receive more in return, it is probably too good to be true.
If you actually send money to a would be scammer, the chances are pretty good that you will never see it again.
"We simply don't have the resources to go to the other end of the country for an investigation like this, let alone the other side of the world," Crossley said. "With tough economic times, people seem more willing to take a risk and the outcome usually isn't good for them."
The Sheriff's Department is recommending that people approach any such offer with skepticism and truly think twice before giving their hard-earned money to anyone contacting them in an anonymous fashion.
The Sinclairville Free Library is warning people not to accept e-mails from its old Hotmail address which has been compromised (sincfrlb@hotmail.com). The new e-mail account for the library is sincfrlb@gmail.com.
Anyone in the area who has been defrauded should contact their local law enforcement agency or the sheriff's office in Mayville at 753-2131 to report the incident. In Cattaraugus County, residents can call the sheriff's office in Little Valley at 938-9191.