Con Artists

Don't Get Taken by Con Artists

Each year the Merrimack Police Department receives complaints from local residents who have lost money in fraud schemes, especially bunco schemes.

The word "bunco" comes from the Spanish word "banco," meaning bank, and is used to describe several swindle schemes. Other terms for the swindles are confidence or con games.

In a scheme, the bunco operator:

• selects a person to participate
• gains the participant's confidence by telling a believable story
• asks for the participant's help or promises the participant money or goods
• asks the participant to show "good faith" by producing cash in advance for the promised money or goods

Examples of bunco schemes include the bank examiner, pigeon drop, home improvement fraud, and door-to-door solicitor.

Bank Examiner

Posing as a bank examiner, the bunco artist telephones a person, saying the bank is investigating a dishonest teller and needs the person's help. The bank examiner usually asks for the person's account number and bank balance. The person is then asked to withdraw a large amount in cash and told to give the money to the bank examiner or another person posing as a detective or bank messenger. Supposedly, the money will be re-deposited for the person, who is told to keep the entire matter a secret. The person will rarely see the money or bank examiner again.

If you receive a telephone call or visit from someone posing as a bank examiner, report the incident immediately to the Police Department and your bank.

Pigeon Drop

The pigeon drop scheme frequently occurs in front of a store or at a bus stop. Carrying money, and possibly fake gambling slips in an envelope, wallet or paper bag, the bunco operator approaches a person and says the money was found on the sidewalk or in a telephone booth. The person, referred to as a pigeon, is asked for advice on keeping the money. The bunco operator will offer to share the money with the person if the person will go to the bank and withdraw a large amount of cash to show "good faith."

When the person shows the money, usually outside the bank, the bunco artist cleverly switches the person's money with paper the same size as dollar bills. The person is told to redeposit the money. While inside the bank, the person discovers the deposit is worthless and the bunco artist disappears with the person's money.

Be suspicious of strangers offering to share found money. Call the Police Department immediately.

Home Improvement Fraud

A bunco artist working a home improvement scheme usually drives a commercial van or pickup truck through a residential area. Stopping to talk to a person working in a yard the bunco artist offers to spray the roof, coat the driveway or fertilize the lawn with materials left over from another job. Because the price quoted is low, the person does not ask for a written estimate.

After the work is done, the bunco operator asks to be paid a higher amount than the quoted price. The person is told materials used are stolen, and the bunco artist threatens to call the police if the higher price is not paid. To make matters worse, the materials used are often inferior. The roof coating might be whitewash, the driveway coating, motor oil, and the fertilizer made of sawdust and oil.

Before home repairs are made, deal with and compare estimates from several reputable companies. Verify identification of persons offering to make low priced repairs. If you are suspicious of the repair person, call the Police Department immediately and give descriptions of the person and vehicle.

Door-to-Door Solicitor

As a door-to-door solicitor, the bunco artist asks for a donation to benefit a nonexistent organization or purpose, or sells a product for a reduced price if the person signs the contract immediately and pays cash at the time of sale.

Verify a door-to-door solicitor's identification and permit. If in doubt, call the Police Department immediately. Tell the solicitor the contract will not be signed until an attorney has reviewed it.

Bunco Artists Are Persuasive!

Bunco operators are persuasive actors and usually persistent ones. The bunco schemes described here have many variations, but all have the same goal--gaining a person's confidence and money, sometimes amounting to one's life savings.

Many times bunco operators will abandon their schemes when a person:

• requests and verifies identification before letting someone in the house
• checks the company's reputation with the Better Business Bureau and the Department of Consumer Affairs or Attorney General's Office
• asks for a written estimate for repair work and gets other estimates mates
• does not invest hastily and refuses to rush into a bargain
• wants to discuss a contract with a lawyer before signing it