From the South Walton Police Blotter - South Walton Internet Fraud

Sandestin, FL (November 5, 2009) – Walton County Sheriff’s Officials would like to remind the public to be very careful when posting any personal information over the internet.  Recently, a South Walton County woman was victimized while searching for a job on-line.

The Loblolly Bay Drive resident told Walton County Sheriff’s Deputies’ that she had posted an ad on Monster.com looking for a job.  A company by the name of “Regency Group Inc.” contacted her through her Monster.com account.  They recruited her to be a “money manager”.  The victim filled out an application for the job, giving all of her personal information for a background check.  That included her bank account information.

A representative from the bogus group explained to the woman that they would deposit money into her account, and she would then wire the money to their customers.  The victim was reportedly contacted by e-mail stating that the funds had been deposited, but instead an undetermined amount of money was removed from the victim’s bank account.

Walton County Sheriff’s Investigators say be completely sure who is to receive the information before sending it into Cyberspace.   Bank account and credit card information should be kept confidential.  Social security numbers can often be used by criminals to steal a person’s identity. 

Related Links:

• Archives