Identity theft warning as scammer targets Portmore councillor
Published:Monday | February 21, 2022 | 12:12 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
Identity thieves have cloned the social-media account of Courtney Edwards, Independence City councillor and minority leader in the Portmore Municipal Corporation, and sought to fleece contacts by soliciting $50,000 in investment capital with the promise of a 100 per cent profit in 24 hours.
The incident is part of a worrying anecdotal rise in the identity scams in a world that has grown increasingly dependent on Internet-based communication and transactions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Alex Tomlinson, who has known Edwards for many years, told The Gleaner that he was at the point of giving in to the solicitation when he became suspicious about the haste at which the person purporting to be the councillor wanted the money transferred. Tomlinson had even got instructions to download an app to lodge the money to a bank based in Nigeria.
“I know Mr Edwards for many years, so when the person contacted me in a friendly way, I responded, but when he mentioned the investment scheme and he keeps insisting that I get the money to him right away, I knew then it was not Mr Edwards,” said Tomlinson.
“My suspicion was aroused, and I went to Mr Edwards’ Instagram page and noticed that the Instagram account the person was using was a new account in the name of CourtneyJ.Edwards.5, which was different from the councillor’s original account that simple has Courtney J. Edwards.”
Tomlinson said he immediately called Edwards and was informed that the appeal was bogus.
Edwards, in the meantime, said he is appalled at the level of sophistication that identity thieves are using to rob hard-working Jamaicans. He is appealing to anyone who has fallen victim to the scheme to immediately report the matter to the police.
Another Independence City resident, Andre Dawkins, said he was also a victim of the scam but caught on to the scheme and refused to send the money that had been requested.
A spokesman at the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigations Branch, who requested anonymity, said that while criminals were finding innovative ways to scam influential people, there was little the agency could do until victims come forward and make reports.