Caution advised as cops in Howell tackle scam that cost NJ woman tens of thousands

⚠ Howell police are warning residents about a scam

⚠ A woman lost $35,000 when an imposter pretended to be from Amazon

⚠ Police set up a trap to catch him

HOWELL — Police are warning residents about a scam targeting the Howell community and all of Monmouth County that cost a woman thousands of dollars.

The scam that victimized Howell woman

The scam began when a woman tried to buy a garbage can on Amazon that never arrived.

They said she called a number for Amazon customer support she found online, but instead, connected her to a scammer who convinced the woman to pay $35,000 to “fix” her Amazon and bank accounts.

The imposter later showed up at the victim’s house to collect the money.

When the scammer requested an additional $80,000, the woman realized she was being scammed and called the Howell Police Department.

How one of the Howell scammers was caught

Detectives set up a sting operation with a decoy package containing the supposed $80,000.

A 21-year-old man, who was a foreign exchange student from India living in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was seen picking up the fake box of money. That’s when detectives stopped his vehicle, arrested him, and charged him with receiving stolen property.

The first impostor who picked up the $35,000 is still at large. He is described as a younger South Asian man who was driving an older silver model Toyota Corolla with Pennsylvania license plates, police said.

If anyone has any information, please contact Det. Richard Robertiello at 732-938-4575 Ext. 2652.

How to avoid this scam

Howell police are reminding residents that scammers use high-pressure tactics to manipulate their victims into believing their accounts are compromised, tricking them into handing over cash to “fix” their accounts.

“If someone reaches out to you via email, text, or even a phone call and asks you to move or transfer money---STOP, call someone you trust, and do NOT send the funds, including gift cards or Bitcoin. If you have any doubts or concerns, contact the Howell Township Police Department,” according to a department Facebook post.

The Howell Police Department said it remains committed to fraud education and enforcement of these crimes. That’s why they host fraud seminars throughout the township regularly and will continue to do so to educate the community about these crimes.

"Becoming the victim of a scam can be a distressing and embarrassing experience. We can assist you in these situations. We may even be able to arrest the scammers as we did in this situation,” police said.

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