The Virgin Islands Police Department and the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs are alerting the community about what they’re calling a “trend of Western Union scams” that the V.I.P.D.’s Economic Crime Unit office has been observing.
According to a press release the V.I.P.D. issued on Tuesday, scammers deceive victims by sending them messages through a cellphone, email, or Facebook, tricking the victims into believing that they were selected to win a vehicle, money, or other rewards and in return the victims must send monies through Western Union in order to retrieve their winnings.
After sending the monies through Western Union, according to the release, the scammers change their contact information, leaving the victims without any of the promised rewards. As of May 2016 to present, St. Croix has had nine cases and several on St. Thomas, according to police. The V.I.P.D. and D.L.C.A. are asking the public to be aware when sending monies through Western Union, and be even more vigilant if said monies are being sent to people or organizations that you are not familiar with.
Police are asking anyone with concerns to contact Economic Crime Unit Detectives at (340) 773-2266 on St Croix or St. Thomas 340 774- 3942.
Tags: us virgin islands, western union scam
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