Sunday, September 23, 2012
Here's what happened in Strongsville over the last few days
Here are some of the headlines from Strongsville this week: 1. New restaurant on the way -- Firehouse Subs will open one of its first Cleveland-area franchises in Strongsville. 2. Mad Cactus makeover -- A year after the Retaurant: Impossible chef visited, the owner has returned to the old menu. 3. Break-in at Applebee's -- A bold thief smashes a window, grabs a TV and flees. 4. Car break-ins -- Thieves are again targeting purses in certain parking lots. 5. Payday loan scams -- Some residents are getting calls about cash advances they never authorized or received.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Innocent victims hounded for cash advances they never got
Several Strongsville residents have reported being victims of Payday Loan scams in recent weeks. One man told police Sept. 14 that Payday Loans took money out of his account -- and he has never even dealt with the company. Another reported in March that he was told he had a balance of $496 on a cash advance he had actually paid off. And a woman told police in early September that a caller wanted her to go to Walmart to send money for a loan she had allegedly taken -- but didn't. Most of the trouble can be traced to Internet fraud, according to Detective Lt. John Janowski. Janowski said criminals are applying for a Payday Loan -- a cash advance -- online, using someone else's information. When the loans aren't repaid, the company turns …
Friday, September 7, 2012
New apps are starting to cause trouble across the country
A Strongsville woman suspected a scam when she started receiving calls about a payday loan. But the caller ID on her phone showed the call was coming from the Strongsville Police Department. It was not. Instead, it was a scam that's starting to show up more and more. "There are plenty of ways out there to spoof numbers," Detective Lt. John Janowksi said. "There are even spoofing apps for smart phones." The apps route the call through an Internet site -- or sometimes two or three sites, often reaching overseas -- to make it look like it's coming from a different number than where it originated. So far, it hasn't been a major problem in Strongsville. "Most of the times we've heard about it, it's kids using it to spoof their friends," …
Gopal Das
7:47 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
I think everybody should check out the Scam Detector app. I believe they're online as well. more ›