Warning!

This technically goes under "crimes", but I am also posting it here because I want to make sure as many people as possible see it. I would also post it on "the other board", but since "Local crime reporting is not permitted..." I guess they support crime.
This is about a specific person in this area doing some convincing phone scams.

The person has access to landline numbers and the names associated with them. However, not likely from the printed Telmex directory because some numbers are too recent to have been printed in the book they give customers. I also considered the Lake Chapala Society directory as a source, but also too much lag time (some numbers are too new).

The person researches the proposed victim to know about people they know. I first suspected Facebook as a source of information, but not all victims have Facebook. However, all victims’ names do come up on a web search using Google.

The person knows the geographical area here.

The person has habitually used the story that he has had an accident and has some problem with his insurance, and needs money put in an account by paying through Oxxo. Stories could change.

He appears to speak English as a first language, but could be a Mexican that grew up in the US. His voice sounds young (likely under 30), does not use perfect grammar (may be an act, or their real way of speaking), and uses a “southern/country” accent.

The person has been calling from 33 area-coded (local) cell phones (33 1073 4717, 33 2250 6756, and others).

He asks for Oxxo to Oxxo money transfers, asking you to put money an Oxxo-Santander cards (such as 5579 1001 5269 4103) and a Bancomer account (could have been another Oxxo card?). The cards and numbers will change, but he seems to like using Oxxo as the way to have you pay.

In my case: received a call to work landline. Uncle coming to visit me. “Which uncle would be crazy enough to visit me here?” He was fishing, but he got the name of an uncle from me. He then asked for my cell number for when he arrived (which I gave him). I said I knew nothing about a visit. He stated that he left a voice message on my other number (it was my home number I never use for calls, and no voice mail setup… also no message was left). He sent an sms text (just regular text message) saying he was on the way to Chapala (odd that my 84 year-old uncle was driving here, knew the way to get here, and had bought a local cell phone, but it could happen). He said the traffic was bad. Next text, “I am telling you might be late with my bad luck I got myself into a fender bender – won´t lie to you sam its my fault I just hope you know a man by the name david a****”, (the person whose car he supposedly just hit, and maybe his last scam victim) then comes the need for money, etc, etc. He then calls (I have his voice recorded if anyone wants to hear him). I give him a “confirmation” number, but never send money. He then sends a message via WhatsApp (him using a different cell number) angry that we did not send the money (we offered to take it personally to him, he declined). End of story??? No.

A few days later, a friend sends me an e-mail asking if I called (I had not). Someone had called her, saying the he was "Dr. Sam" (me), and gave a similar story about accident, no insurance, etc. He asked how her husband was (knew his actual name) and built confidence. Unfortunately, she paid, and is out $4000mxn.

This is a current scam. Advise, stay on high alert for anything that seems a little fishy, and “offer” (but do not actually do it) to take the cash personally to the person. When they decline and insist on Oxxo or other “anonymous” ways of paying and receiving, you have just verified that it is a scam.

My wife says this sounds somewhat like a call she had the other day. After she kept asking just who he was he hung up. The amazing thing was he had my name, first and last and referred to our last name for who in the family might want to come for a visit. "You know I'm coming down, right?" A little spooky to have so much info.

Also extortion calls coming from 899-161-8966 and the Zetas supposedly as told to me by a client but could be anybody just trying to scare

This has been happening for years. Common one for renters is landlord is coming down. It includes a local schill who comes to your door. Very clever people for you folks who think it won't happen to me. I went to my rental company at the time and they talked to the landlord and determined it was fraud. They called back I hung up. End of story end of contact. Never saw schill again.

We got a call last week. Guy plays a good game; appearing to be a bit indignant I didn't recognize the voice of my "favourite uncle" on my (correct surname) side of the family. He wouldn't say his name....just lots of BS about being my uncle and why wouldn't I believe him. I hung up. All of my aunts and uncles are long gone.
What a creep...I guess he is being successful so continues. I have no idea where he got our number and name. Double creepy.

Thank you sharing for this topic! Bill Bogey

We got 2 calls from the same cell number a couple of days ago and when we asked who was calling he said "you know who this is, don't you? We hung up and he called back. We hung up again.

good reason to have an american cell phone in mexico

This guy called me last week on my MX landline. He knew the name of my nephew and his birth order. He used the fender bender story. I called the named nephew on my cell and discovered he was on a road trip in US. What concerned me is that the MX landline is in the name of the landlord. The only places it was associated with my name at that time was my gated community directory, LCS, and INM. I let him know that I was aware he was not my nephew. At that there was silence, and I could hear a conversation in Spanish in the background. I replaced the receiver and have not heard anything since. Oh yes, he also had the name of my nephew's friend in SA, TX, and my nephew lives in another state. My concern is how he obtained all this information.

I'm beginning to think INM is the info source for these calls.

Got our call today. Thankfully I had read this post earlier and knew very quickly.
It felt good to be on top of it.

Thanks you all

I have been getting calls for a couple of months but I never answer the phone unless I know who is calling. At first it was a number from southern California but I know no one there. They called 3 or 4 times a day. Then from a private number a couple of times. Then from a number from Cancun and finally I got an e-mail from a man I never heard of saying he had lost his contact list but was coming for a visit and would get in touch regarding dates and funds. I didn't answer that either. I got a follow up -mail asking if I had received the first e-mail. No message was ever left on the phone. They have finally given up now.

I got a call yesterday from the 899 # too. The guy said " hey buddy I sent you a note that I was coming to the wedding in PV." I said " yeah I got your note and sent you instructions on how to transfer me the money for the plane fare to meet you there". He hung up. Some buddy he is.

That is the best response yet, CBob!
I am going to get mine ready in case I get hit.
Congratulations, CBob!

I take it back.....just got another e-mail but now I know he is getting info from Facebook. I have my security setting at friends only. He has either hacked my account or gotten the info from a friend whose account was definitely hacked. Fortunately for me, almost everything on my Facebook is about my cats and I never post when I will in, out or away. This is what I got. On Aug 9, 2016, at 9:51 AM, Jeff Rafferty <jeffrafferty525@gmail.com> wrote:

hi there,
how are the "patients"
I trust you are now a pet-chef extraordinaire!!!
but
Im coming on 17th, do you need anything????
jx

I am tempted to say "yes, I need to have the police waiting for you" but on the other hand I want to know what else he will come up with.

I would tell him that all you need is the the 8 keys of black tar heroin that he agreed to transport down and that "the boys" will be waiting for him at the airport to pick up the goods.

CanuckBob wrote:I would tell him that all you need is the the 8 keys of black tar heroin that he agreed to transport down and that "the boys" will be waiting for him at the airport to pick up the goods.

Ha ha .....that is an even better answer than your original one. I'm going to use it.

Jeffey Rafferty used to own Cafe Magnana before he closed it and opened a cat and dog food business at the same location in Riberas
He recently moved back to Bucerias and continued the cat and dog food business there
I know he has been considering delivering back to the Lakeside area and asked for anyone who might be interested

Have you tested the email address to see if it valid?

Maybe this is a valid inquiry

Ahhhhh........I have been buying the cat and dog nutrition cat food but all the correspondence came from Dog and Cat Nutrition to a different e-mail and has never been worded so vaguely since he knows what I order. I have picked up a couple of orders from him since he moved. Thanks for that. I never knew his last name.

Ocelot wrote:Ahhhhh........I have been buying the cat and dog nutrition cat food but all the correspondence came from Dog and Cat Nutrition to a different e-mail and has never been worded so vaguely since he knows what I order.  I have picked up a couple of orders from him since he moved.  Thanks for that.  I never knew his last name.

Try sending an email to Dog.catnutrition and asking if he sent an email from the other address.

Another mystery solved......

All in a day's work CB

The update is that it is indeed the Pet Food Jeff and he did lose his contacts. This was more fun when I thought it was a scammer. Oh well, I still have an e-mail from someone else wanting to know if I am dead.