Police warn of TTY scam

SANDPOINT— Bonner County has not evaded an increasingly popular scam that uses telephone communication technology for the deaf to protect criminal identities.

Following warnings by Paul Graves in his Jan. 6 column, readers have reported similar attempts to pilfer money from businesses and independent sellers. The characterizing element of the scam is the use of a TTY, a device that can relay typed messages to an operator, who in turn reads the message to the recipient. Not only does this tactic attempt to gain the victim’s sympathy for a fictional disability — it also allows the scam artist to operate in untraceable anonymity from wherever he chooses.

“The most important thing to remember about placing or responding to an ad — even on Craigslist or in the Nickle’s Worth — is that it’s always safer to deal face to face,” Sandpoint Police Capt. Rick Bailey said.

That’s because distance can allow a criminal more methods to rip their victims off, even when purportedly sending money rather than requesting it.

Such is the case with Graves, who placed an ad for his father’s four-wheel walker in the Nickle’s Worth. He received a call later on from a TTY operator. The individual using the device wanted to pay for the walker with a money order that would cover the cost, plus an additional sum that would be forwarded to a non-existent third party that would arrange for shipping.

Those money orders can oftentimes appear legitimate, initially clearing with the victim’s bank. The individual then withdraws a sum of money and wires it as instructed. When the check is revealed as fraudulent, the victim becomes responsible. Due to laws that require a bank to make funds available within a specific time period — usually far less time than required to identify a bad check — the money order scam has gained popularity among con artists.

Graves wasn’t fooled, but many people across the country are.

Authorities advise residents to exhibit caution and trust their intuition when dealing with long distance transactions, especially ones involving TTY relays. Bailey added that any individuals who have experiences suspicious or fraudulent activity should report their case to the police department immediately.

“When it comes to buying or selling, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” he said.