Mark Peterson, District Attorney of Contra Costa County, is reminding residents to beware of widespread telephone scams. “The best way to ensure our residents are protected is to make sure they are informed and are skeptical of callers demanding money,” said District Attorney Mark Peterson, “There are many scams out there.  The more aware people are of scams in general, the more vigilant they will be.”

Recently reported scams include:

• Calls from a person claiming to be a police officer stating that the victim has an arrest warrant pending and that the victim will be arrested.
• Calls from a person claiming to be a police officer stating that there is a problem with the victim’s Social Security Number or Identification Number and that an officer would be coming to the victim’s home within the hour.
• A “robocall” stating that the local county sheriff will arrest the citizen for criminal violations.
• A phone call from someone pretending to be a family member saying they were arrested or had an emergency while traveling in a foreign country.
• Fake IRS agents are calling taxpayers claiming they owe taxes and must make a payment immediately or risk going to jail, being deported, orlosing theirbusiness or driver’s license.
• Calls threatening the victim with prosecution for failing to comply with a summons for jury service in federal or state courts.
• Calls reporting that there is something wrong with the victim’s computer and the victim should give someone remote access.

During these calls, recipients are pressured to send money or prepaid credit cards, or to provide confidential personal information, which can lead to identity theft and fraud.

These calls can appear legitimate because the scammers may even know the last four digits of the victim’s social security number or other personal information, including a relative’s name.

Generally,the scammers rent or purchase phone numbers in bulk that can, in turn, be used by a software program that automatically dials victims.  The scammers’ phone number can either be masked to make it appear that they are calling from the IRS or from local law enforcement, or the scammersuse the numbers for a short period of time and then get new numbers to continue their scams.  Unfortunately, this makes the fraudsters difficult to locate and prosecute.  Sometimes, the callers are even located outside the United States.

Here’s how to help protect yourself:

• Know that IRS agents usually contact individuals by mail first. They NEVER demand payment by debit card, wire transfer or credit card.
• Know that law enforcement agencies will NEVER ask for payment over the phone or offer to negotiate an outstanding warrant for a reduced payment, in lieu of arrest.
• Ask questions – When you receive a suspicious call, be skeptical and ask for details to find out why the person is calling.
• Verify the answers – If the person is claiming to be a relative, call the relative or their immediate family on a known phone number to verify if they were travelling and if they are ok. If the person is calling from a department or agency, call the public number for the department and see if the person really works there and whether there is really a warrant, etc.
• Never provide your social security number or other personal identifying or financial information to an unsolicited caller.
• Don’t send cash bymessenger, overnight mail, money transfer, or prepaid credit card. If you use cash or a money transfer — rather than a traditional credit card — you may lose your right to dispute fraudulent charges.
• Always check with a loved one or trusted advisor before sending money.
• If you get a call from a scammer, hang up the phone.
• Report scam calls to the Federal Trade Commission (https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/) or by calling 1-888-382-1222.
• Report IRS scams to the federal reporting system. The IRS tracks complaints regarding IRS scams and is interested in the information gleaned from those complaints.  Make reports at: http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml

For more information on IRS scams, please click here.

By Allen Payton

Jeff Belle, source Contra Costa County Board of Education

County School Board Member Jeff Belle, who has been charged and is being prosecuted for lying on his ballot statement during his 2014 campaign, was denied a request for participation in a diversion program in July.

In his 2014 campaign ballot statement, Belle claimed to have a college degree, but he didn’t at the time.

In July, he filed a motion to compel diversion. Belled wanted to enter a new Contra Costa District Attorney program designed to divert people from the criminal justice system. However, the DA’s office filed a response and turned him down.

Belle then requested the court to demand that the DA comply with his request, but it was also declined.

A pre-trial conference to discuss a resolution of the case was scheduled, but Belle’s attorney was unable to attend. So, it was postponed eight weeks at Belle’s request, until sometime in late September or early October.

He continues to fight the charge over which he has plead not guilty and faces trial. The maximum penalty Belle faces is a $1,000 fine and no jail time. It’s a fine only misdemeanor.

Attempts to reach Belle for this article were unsuccessful.

For more information about this case, please see the articles here and here.

Arrested at Walnut Creek church, investigations into other possible victims

Ward Steven Caldwell

The Contra Costa District Attorney has filed three felony counts of grand theft by fraud and one felony count of Elder Financial Abuse against Ward Steven Caldwell, also known as Bruce Harmon, also known as Bruce Goodrich, age 55. Caldwell is also charged with penalty enhancements for losses exceeding $150,000 and an aggravated white collar enhancement for committing financial crimes on two or more people with total losses over $100,000. Additional charges are pending after several more victims were discovered.

In September 2015, Caldwell befriended the first victim, a widowed hairdresser, by portraying himself as a successful investor and promising to double her money. Caldwell told her that he had a business partner named Junior in Las Vegas who invested in strip joints, casinos and TV commercials. Over a three-month period in 2016, the victim gave Caldwell a total of $139,500.

The second victim met Caldwell at a car wash in Walnut Creek. Caldwell struck up a conversation about the car she was driving and offered to help her sell her first car. Caldwell convinced her to invest $30,000 in a business deal where investors would buy a Bugatti Chiron and sell it for a large profit.

The third victim is a 90-year-old woman from Lafayette. She met Caldwell at the Grace Presbyterian Church in Walnut Creek. The victim thought Caldwell was an honest person because she read in the church newsletter that Caldwell had donated $150,000 to the church. In reality, Caldwell had given the pastor two checks totaling $150,000 and told him to hold the checks until Caldwell told him that he had received some settlement money that would make the checks good. The elderly victim gave Caldwell a total of $171,200.

DA Investigators and accountants found that Caldwell had used the investment money for personal expenses and none of it went to any investments. They also found two potential victims in Contra Costa, Alameda County and one victim in Butte County.  Those cases are under investigation.

Defendant was arrested last Sunday at the Grace Presbyterian Church and is being held in custody on a $505,000 bail. The District Attorney’s office believes there may be other victims at the church and defendant may have befriended other elders living at assisted living facilities.

If you know of other victims, or assisted-living facilities that Caldwell may have visited, please contact DA Inspector Al Cofer at 925-957-2200.