Numerous Erie County residents have received scam emails and reported them to law enforcement. Below is a good article written by a investigator that I received today. Its well worth reading.

I have read a number of posts here related to 419 or West African Scams
> and thought I'd throw in my .02 worth.
>
> About 2 years ago, as a challenge, I looked into whether or not these
> could actually be investigated successfully. The short answer is yes
> the long answer is yes / maybe.
>
> What I have found is that the largest North American cells reside in
> Canada. The African Internet cafes are used to scour the Internet and
> "hook" the victims. Once hooked the victim information is then
> transferred to the Canadian cells. The money from the victims is then
> sent to a third cell that launders the money through Asian accounts.
> Once laundered the money is returned to Canada and Africa. With over
> $400 MILLION globally being earned by these groups, and the majority of
> the money returning to West Africa, it makes you wonder what the money
> is being used for. Other countries that have significant cells are: US,
> UK, Netherlands, Japan, China, Europe.
>
> Based on information received from sources, other LE and the banks we
> (LE) have arrested over 25 individuals that have direct ties to these
> scams. Where the problems arise is in the cooperation (or lack there
> of) between various agencies and countries--luckily this is slowly
> changing. That attitude that these can't be investigated has resulted
> in LE (both at a local and Federal level) advising the victims to "just
> destroy the evidence." Instead of being reported, gathering the IP's,
> user names, emails etc from the victim, LE is actually aiding in these
> scams by allowing the majority of it to go unreported. The banks also
> play a major role in perpetuating these scams by not having adequate
> checks in place to determine whether or not the cheques are real--the
> cheques being the lowest common demonimator in ALL of these scams. They
> are slowly getting better but when I hear bank investigators say they
> deposited the cheque, knowing it may be counterfeit, in order "to see
> what happens" well...
>
> As for the attitude that these are "victim perpetuated crimes" some are
> some aren't. The obvious ones involving lotteries, money washing,
> Diplomat, inheritance scams most definitely are. However, there are a
> number of scams where the victim is just that--a victim. A lot of these
> victims are elderly, single parents looking for extra money, lonely
> individuals or selling items online or renting apartments. I have
> spoken to victims that are lawyers, engineers, doctors, LE and others
> "who should know better."
>
> The only reason you and I haven't been scammed is because they haven't
> come up with one that triggers our hook response yet.
>

This happened in Millcreek Township but all residents of Erie County residents should take note of possible scam taking place.

From A Neighborhood Watch Member:

I have a situation to report for Millcreek, and for my aged In-laws who reside near the airport. This afternoon, Feb. 6 at about 2:30 P.M. my wife picked up my Father-in-law to take him to the bank, leaving my 92-year-old mother-in-law alone in the home. At approximately 3:00 P.M. there was a knock at the locked back door, my mother-in-law did not open the door, but reports that there were “more than two” males on the porch, and they were calling her by name, stating that they had a check for $5-million dollars, and all she needed to do was open the door and sign for the money. She refused. They went around to the front door, knocked, then left. That door is frozen shut, has huge icicles, they never use that door anyway. They had her phone number, and called to tell her they had the check, which she had to sign for. She told them she was going to call the police, and hung up. In a few minutes they returned, knocked again, she refused to open the door and they left.

She further reports that she only observed an older model dark car.

By the time my wife and her father returned, there was no other car or people on the property. My wife observed footprints in the snow leading generally west from the driveway to the front door and back, about 25-30 feet. Further, I observed the same prints at about 5:00 P.M when I went to drop off a car at the residence.

What concerns me is that my mother-in-law did not call the police immediately, and was not in a mood to do so later when I arrived. These folks have nothing of any real value, no money or valuables. To have gotten their phone number, they had to have gone through their trash, which like Erie, is put out on the curb once a week. I believe that Millcreek PD needs this info, but that your department probably needs it more. If there is a group cruising the area using this lame ruse to get into homes, or scam old people, everyone needs to know.

Missing Person FOUND!

Aaron Nolan of Millcreek is still a missing person.

On Jan. 16. Nolan, an unemployed U.S. Army veteran with a history of substance abuse and psychiatric problems became a missing person.

Nolan walked out of his residence and left behind his house keys, cell phone, menthol cigarettes and leather billfold, which still held $43 in cash. He was possibly wearing a sweatshirt, nylon wind pants and sneakers.

Lately there has been a increase in lottery and other scams originating from Canada. If your are avictim of such a scam or receive emails, telephone calls or letters I recommend you file a report at the Canadian Reporting Economic Crime Online website: http://www.recol.ca. You can also file a report with the National White Collar Crime/FBI: Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov .

The Millcreek Township Police Department has seen a recent rise in residential burglaries and car break-ins. These have primarily occurred during hours of darkness with the frequency high considering the time of year.
In order to reduce your chances of becoming a victim of a home break-in, please follow these tips:
1.) lock all doors when present or away.
2.) leave on at least one interior light and one exterior light at night. The inside light will tell a potential burglar that someone may be home while the exterior light will illuminate the property. This makes the residence less approachable due to the likelihood of discovery by neighbors or passersby.
3.) install an audible alarm, acquire a dog, or both. Either will serve as an alert should the home be approached or breached by outsiders. The noise created will likely cause the perpetrator to immediately leave the property.
4.) stay in touch with neighbors and ask them to immediately report any suspicious activity in the area to Millcreek Township Police Department. While the activity is being reported, attempt to keep an eye on the appearance, vehicle, and direction of travel used by the perpetrator. This information is valuable to police when attempting to find the suspect.

In an effort to reduce your chances of a car break-in, please do the following:
1.) lock all doors and windows when your car is unoccupied.
2.) park in your locked garage as opposed to your driveway or the street if possible.
3.) if you must park in the driveway or on the street (not permitted during snow events), park in an illuminated area. This makes the vehicle less approachable due to likely detection.
4.) never leave valuables inside the passenger compartment where they appear in plain sight. This tempts the dishonest individual.
5.) when parking in a public lot such as the Millcreek Mall, attempt to park near entrances and under light posts if possible. Again, the remote and dimly lit area invites the thief.
6.) always activate the alarm system if you have one. If not, consider purchasing one.

Items commonly targeted by thieves, whether it be a car or home, are cash, jewelry, wallets, purses, GPS units, cell phones, television sets, stereos, computers, computer games, and compact disks. If wallets and purses are stolen, your debit cards, credit cards, and checkbooks may be used before you have a chance to notify the companies which furnish these.
Remember, the more difficult you make it for the criminal, the less likely you are to become a victim!

Captain Michael Tesore
Investigative Services Division
Millcreek Township Police Department

FORWARDED ON BEHALF OF HOMELAND SECURITY

This gives us something to think about with all our new electronic technology.

GPS
A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans.

Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard. When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen.

The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean up the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.

Cell Phone
I never thought of this......
This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet... etc... was stolen. 20 minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text asking about our Pin number and I replied a little while ago. When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.

Moral of the lesson:
Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc.... And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back. Also, when you're being text by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you.

Information that could be valuable to everyone in the county can be placed in this section.