Lakewood police have released a photograph of a man believed to the husband of a woman suspected of scamming several Hispanic families out of nearly $140,000.

The man went by the name Jose Fernandez when he got a business license to lease storefront space in the 8600 block of South Tacoma Way. However, investigators have now determined that the California identification he presented for the license was false.

Police believe he's the husband/accomplice of "Señora Monica," who claimed she was able to cleanse money of evil. Several families gave her money to cleanse and when they showed up for their final session Sunday at the store Botanica Centro de Consultas, Señora Monica was nowhere to be found.

Lakewood police are now searching for her and her husband. They might be driving a white Chevrolet Suburban with California license plates and a gray Honda Civic-style car. They also are believed to have three boys, ages 3 to 15.

Investigators ask anyone who knows the real identity of "Jose" or "Señora Monica" to contact them at 253-830-5000.

Lakewood police are searching for a woman who promised to cleanse the money of at least seven Hispanic families but stole it instead.

The families were supposed to have their final session with Señora Monica on Sunday night at a small store in the 8600 block of South Tacoma Way, Lakewood police Lt. Heidi Hoffman said. But she never showed and now the families are out nearly $140,000.

Detectives have discovered much of the information on the business license for the store - Botanica Centro de Consultas - is false. They're working to identify the man who got the license and Señora Monica, Hoffman said.

No arrests have been made.

The victims told Lakewood police they met Señora Monica at the nearby swap meet or heard her advertisements on a Spanish-speaking radio station, Hoffman said. She advertised that she could help with "all your problems."

On her business card, Señora Monica listed her services as: Reads cards, reads palms, performs cleansings, interprets dreams, reunites loved ones, sexual deficiencies, cures nervous disorders, employment problems, alcoholism and drug addiction. "Don't suffer anymore. If you can't have children, call me," the card reads. "Performs spells, counterspells and love spells."

Some victims had Taro card readings with Señora Monica and decided to have her cleanse their money. Some of the sessions occurred with the victims at the store on South Tacoma Way.

The victims had set up a final meeting Sunday night during which they would receive their cleansed money and would pay a gratuity - whatever they felt was appropriate - to Señora Monica, Hoffman said.

"Señora Monica never showed up," Hoffman said.

Investigators have learned a man got a business license and paid cash in June to rent out the storefront on South Tacoma Way. The store also sold candles, incense and other items, Hoffman said.

A closed sign now hangs on the door.

"All the information on the business license has proven to be false," Hoffman said.

Detectives don't have a last name for Señora Monica. She's described as Hispanic, 30 to 40 years old, 5 feet tall and 130 pounds. She has long black hair.

Anyone with information on Señora Monica's identity or whereabouts is asked to call Lakewood police at 253-830-5000.

We talked on this blog before about fake rental ads on popular online advertising sites.

The FBI sent out a customer alert today related to the scam. Find the alert here.

Here's the beginning of their press release:

You can't believe your good fortune — you find a rental home in a nice area through a Craigslist classified ad at an unbelievably low rate. The landlord—who had to leave the country and travel to Nigeria—asks that you wire him two months’ worth of rent. You arrive at the home on the agreed-upon date, but there’s just one small problem—the house is not actually for rent and its owners know nothing about your agreement.

This latest scam being perpetrated by Nigerian criminals located halfway around the world has been seen in a number of U.S. states, perhaps in response to the current housing market—with fewer people buying, more people are renting.

Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 37-year-old man with 16 counts of theft, alleging he cost a home improvement store nearly $100,000.

Jeffrey Scott Powell was charged Friday in Pierce County Superior Court with 14 counts of first-degree theft and two counts of second-degree theft.

Investigators believe he was involved in a scam that cost Lowe's stores in Pierce, King, Thurston and Kitsap counties $92,249.19. Pierce County's Lowe's stores lost $32,994.30, charging documents state.

Court documents provide the following information about how the scam worked:

A person would call different Lowe's stores throughout the country and request Powell be added as an authorized buyer on a business account. He was allowed to be added without much question.

Once approved, Powell would visit Lowe's in the Puget Sound region and make large purchases such as washer/dryers, appliances and pressure washers. He put the merchandise on the business accounts.

The sales were made on the weekends or after 7 p.m. during the week, times when the store could not verify Powell's purchasing status.

Several of the sales were caught on surveillance tape. Powell used his own ID when he bought items and often carried a notepad.

The purchases were billed to the companies. When those companies received their bills, they would dispute the charges. Lowe's then reimbursed the company and took the financial loss for the fraudulent purchase. (In Pierce County, those companies were mainly construction businesses.)

Lowe's officials contacted the Washington State Patrol about the fraudulent transactions and the agency launched an investigation.

Thursday, Powell was detained at a Kent Lowe's store after he made a fraudulent purchase.

A State Patrol detective arrested him.

It never takes long ... Watch out for swine flu-related scams, the Better Business Bureau warns.

Here's the press release.

DuPont, WA – April 29, 2009 – Relying on reports from online security experts, Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be on the lookout for fraudulent emails and Web sites trying to take advantage of the current swine flu outbreak.

"Scammers read newspapers, watch TV and surf the Internet and they know that by using a hook from the day's top headlines, that they'll be able to catch lots of fish," said Robert W.G. Andrew, CEO of BBB serving Alaska, Oregon, and Western Washington. "Right now, issues associated with swine flu and a potential pandemic are of global interest and that means scammers have a very large pond to go phishing in."

According to McAfee Avert Labs, an online security company, spammers began pumping out e-mails as soon as the first accounts of swine flu were being reported in the news, accounting for two percent of all spam messages. The messages include such subject lines as, "Madonna caught swine flu!" and "Swine flu in Hollywood!" The company reports that the e-mails do not contain malware but often link to online pharmacies.

According to F-Secure Corp., another online security company, more than 250 Web sites with the term "swine flu" have been registered within the first few days following the announcement of the outbreak and predict that the scams artists are preparing to use such Web sites in a variety of different online scams. F-Secure also reports that one Web site is already selling a "Swine Flu Survival Guide" PDF for $19.95.

BBB offers the following advice to avoid swine flu scams:

Avoid opening e-mail from an unknown source and do not click on any links in the body of the e-mail or open any attachments. Instead, delete the e-mail or report it to the Federal Trade Commission by forwarding the e-mail to spam@uce.gov.

Don't believe online offers for vaccinations against swine flu because a vaccine does not exist.

Consumers are encouraged to check their state's Department of Health Web sites for updates and further information concerning this issue:
Federal: www.cdc.gov/swineflu
Washington: www.doh.wa.gov/swineflu

Make sure your anti-virus and anti-spyware software is up to date and all operating system security patches have been installed. If your computer becomes infected as the result of a spam e-mail about swine flu, you can report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.</blockquote>

King County prosecutors are deciding whether to charge a Federal Way woman for allegedly embezzling about $34,000 from three youth sports clubs.

Federal Way police said Tuesday that the woman, who’s the treasurer for the clubs, wrote unauthorized checks, mostly for cash, beginning in July 2007.

The checks drew from funds of the Puget Sound Junior Football League, the Federal Way Junior Football Hawks team and the Federal Way American Little League.

A staff member of one of the organizations told police in February he thought the woman was defrauding the club. During a three-month investigation, police said, officers determined the woman had stolen almost $34,000 from the clubs, almost $18,000 from the Federal Way Junior Hawks alone.

League officials showed police copies of the suspicious checks, which had been signed by the woman.

Police interviewed the woman last week. She said she wrote three checks, totally $10,000, from the clubs because her house was at risk of foreclosure.

Officers did not arrest the woman but sent her case to prosecutors. The News Tribune is not naming her because she has not been charged.

A 25-year-old Puyallup man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison today after being convicted of embezzling more than $2 million from the Manke Lumber Co.

Brett M. Smith pleaded guilty in January to one count of mail fraud. He admitted to using his job at Manke to create phony invoices for logs never delivered to the company's mill. Manke officials would send checks to co-conspirators in the scheme.

Nearly 20 others also were prosecuted in the case – more than half for tax crimes – but federal investigators called Smith the ringleader.

The scam netted Smith and others more than $2.4 million.

"Brett Smith, and several under him, seduced 25 others into lives now marred with criminal records with the lure of easy cash," assistant U.S. Attorney Arlen Storm wrote in a sentencing memorandum.

Before handing down the sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Leighton called the crime "deplorable and despicable" and said the fact that Smith and many of his co-conspirators were young "has caused me more fear for our future," according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Leighton then sentenced Smith to two years above the high end of the standard range. He also ordered Smith to pay $2.4 million in restitution.

Smith's attorney, Brett Purtzer of Tacoma, asked Leighton to sentence Smith to six years, six months in prison, saying the prosecution has been "a truly humbling experience" for his client.

In a letter to the court, Smith apologized for his actions.

"My actions were very selfish," he wrote to Leighton. "It is overwhelming when I think of the acute pain, suffering, stress and financial hardships that my irresponsible behavior and horrible choices had on my life and the lives of others."

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Tacoma Police Department and the Internal Revenue Service's criminal investigations unit.

A federal grand jury in Seattle has indicted a Tacoma man on 10 counts of wire fraud, alleging that he lied to potential investors to secure more than $6 million.

John Min, 36, frittered away most of the money on bad investments and spent the rest on himself and his family, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle reported in a news release issued today.

In a separate action, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission also charged Min with violating anti-fraud and registration provisions of the federal securities laws. The SEC complaint seeks "civil injunctions, the return of ill-gotten gains and financial penalties," according to an SEC news release.

Federal agents arrested Min on Monday evening.

Authorities contend Min operated two companies – DIME Capital LLC and DIME Financial Group LLC – between 2005 and 2008. The companies used fraudulent materials to sell investment opportunities to "churches, charitable givers and senior citizens," according to the U.S. Attorney's news release.

Min promised high rates of return – up to 800 percent – trading in currencies, the SEC reported.

He also lured some people by promising that their money would be invested by providing "microloans for the poor," authorities said.

"Min associated himself with a tight-knit religious and philanthropic community in the Pacific Northwest, creating a not-for-profit entity to attract charitable investors who believed that their investments would support certain Third World aid groups, such as a charity supporting Bolivian widows and orphans," the SEC reported.

The SEC further contends that Min lost $5 million trading in currencies and spent more than $1 million more to "finance a lavish lifestyle that included a $70,000 Mercedes, expensive vacations and private school tuition for his children."

Min concealed the fraud by sending phony account statements to investors, federal authorities contend.

"This case serves as an unfortunate reminder that investors need to be wary of possible fraud schemes even when the person offering the investment appears to be part of a humanitarian, religious or other community of trust," said Marc Fagel, director of the SEC's regional office in San Francisco.

The Bellingham Herald, citing the FBI, reported on its Web site today that Min was arrested at the U.S.-Canadian border as he attempted to re-enter the United States from Canada.

The state Attorney General's Office sent out the below press release today regarding a bogus door-to-door sales business.

SEATTLE – The Washington Attorney General’s Office today issued a warning about a company selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door in Washington and several other states. Fresh Start Opportunities claims that money from the subscriptions will be used to help young people get a "fresh start on life," but the company isn't a registered charity.

The company lists a downtown Seattle address on its Web site at www.freshstartopportunities.com but the address is simply a mailbox and the company's owner is believed to reside in another state.

Solicitors represent that the purchase of subscriptions will help young people get off the street and back on their feet so they can earn money to go to school. The Web site describes Fresh Start Opportunities as a "job business training company designed to teach young adults about self discipline, personal growth, self esteem and setting goals for the future."

Consumers have paid between $50 and $295 for subscriptions which, according to the company's site, may take up to 120 days to arrive. Calls to the company's phone number and letters sent to its Seattle address are ignored.

The company has ignored inquiries from the Secretary of State's Office concerning its failure to register as a charity. It also hasn't responded to the many complaints received by the Attorney General's Office and the Better Business Bureau.

A 19-year-old man working for Fresh Start Opportunities was arrested in October after he allegedly broke into an Edmonds home, attacked the owner and stole her purse. The man was also a suspect in burglaries in Sammamish and Tumwater. Incidents of theft by Fresh Start Opportunities employees have also been reported in California.

Always check out a charity with the Secretary of State prior to making a donation. Ask solicitors for the need of the charity that they are representing, as well as the name of their employer. Request paperwork. Then search www.secstate.wa.gov/charities or call the office’s charities program at 1-800-332-4483. You can whether a charity is registered and how much of each dollar raised is used to help.

A woman who has several rental homes in Pierce County is warning potential renters of scam artists operating on Craigslist.

She would know - a scam artist posted an ad for one of her rentals, created an e-mail account using her name and is trying to get money from unknowing people to rent the house.

Gayle Folden came across the bogus Craigslist ad and decided to check out who was trying to rent her property using her name.

Here's the reply she got:

Hello Dear,
I am happy with your reply and interest in my house. I am the owner of the house you are making enquiry of. Actually I resided in the house with my family, My Wife and my 12yrs daughter before and currently we had packed due to my transfer from my church branch and now situated in Lagos,West Africa. Currently my house is still available for rent at $1200.00 including the Utilities like Water; washer etc.I will accept deposit of $1000 + 1 month rent, total of $2200,which is also your rent for 2months. NOTE: The $1000 deposit is highly refundable.

Bedrooms: 4bdrm

Bathrooms: 2.5 baths

1 Garrage
Parking Type: Attached Garage - 3 Car
home address: Graham, WA - 98th Avenue Court East
I want to let you know that money is not the issue but what we are after is absolute care for the house. Someone that will always keep our house clean. A good Tenant that have the fear of God.

I am with the keys and the papers to the house.Pls I want you to note that, I am a kind and honest Man and also I spent a lot on my property that I want to give to you for rent.

So I will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this house and want you to treat it as yours, I hope this is clear to you is not all about the money, but I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that I will be glad to see it neat when I come back from West Africa. You can stay in the house for as longs as 4 years. I also want you to let me have trust in you as I always stand on my word. I await your mail so that i can send you a Rental Application Form. Email me back or call our home cell phone number on +2340857534656
Thanks and may God bless you.

Folden

"I have had 3 different young military wives send me $1200 deposits from out of state for me to hold homes for them over the last few months," the real Gayle Folden wrote. "They have small children and want to have a place ready when they get here. I think they would really send this guy money like he is asking for."

Gayle has reported the bogus ad to the FCC.

One woman saw the ad and started investigating it. She quickly found something fishy.

After, 9 pages of weird emails and a phone call to this man yesterday obviously that is not the truth. I decided to go to the home and speak to the neighbors...little to say the least I received conflicting information about the owners, which the gentleman in Africa was claiming to be. Long story made short, I did not send this man any money western union as he said I should do ASAP. Yesterday when I spoke to this gentleman he was extremely shady, was very nervous, and surprised that I was able to contact him via the phone, then kept telling me, lets only communicate via email...I then knew this was a scam.

FISH Food Bank officials want people to be aware of callers pretending to be affiliated with the charity and asking for money.

FISH Executive Director Beth Elliott said Thursday that someone claiming to be from “Emergency Relief Services” has been calling people in Western Washington and soliciting donations. The Pierce County-based food bank never calls anyone asking for money, so callers saying they’re with the charity are a fraud, Elliott said.

“We’re pretty small,” Elliott said.

Kristin Alexander, a spokeswoman for the state Attorney General’s Office, said anyone who receives a call from someone soliciting money for a charity should ask as questions about the charity to find out if the person is for real. Also, never give out any personal information over the phone. If people want to make a donation, they should call the food bank directly, she said.

A call to the phone number for “Emergency Relief Services” went unanswered Thursday afternoon. A voicemail greeting said, “You have reached the fundraising office, leave us a message and we’ll get right back to ya. Thanks.”

Elliott said she notified the consumer protection division of the Attorney General’s Office. People from as far away as Snohomish and Bellingham have reported receiving the calls.

The Washington State Patrol sent out this press release Friday, warning residents to be wary of a bogus AMBER Alert.

Police and advocates for child safety are warning that a bogus AMBER alert seems to be making its way around the country again. They’re asking the public to not forward unverified AMBER Alerts by text message or other e-mail.

The most recent message seemed similar to one which was reported last year.
It reads “A 7 yr old girl was taken by a man driving a newer silver truck. The license plate reads 72b381 please please pass on. ” There are no known AMBER Alert activations containing that information.

“The best way to find out about AMBER Alerts is to sign up to receive them directly from the official web site,” said Marty Knorr, AMBER Alert Coordinator for the Washington State Patrol. “If you think your friends need to know, encourage them to sign up as well.”

In Washington, official AMBER Alerts can be found at www.washingtonamberalert.com.

Official AMBER Alert messages are geographically targeted and contain all the necessary information pertaining to the child abductions, including where they were issued and contact information for the investigating law enforcement agency. They will also be followed by a cancellation message when the child has been recovered.

Often forwarded messages that appear to be or even claim to be “AMBER Alerts,” but do not contain the necessary information are hoaxes. Even well intentioned citizens, who attempt to formulate their own alerts and forward them, can unwittingly create confusion and a lack of integrity in the
system.

The AMBER Alert program is a highly successful nationwide effort that has resulted in 443 children being safely returned to their families. The success of the AMBER Alert Program depends on the involvement of the entire community. The public has many ways to receive official AMBER Alerts via Radio, Television, Roadway and Digital Signage, Internet Service Providers, and through their wireless carriers.

Other ways that the public can receive official AMBER Alerts on the Internet would be through AOL, AIM, Yahoo, MSN, and MySpace.

Another option for wireless customers is to enroll in the Wireless AMBER Alerts program by visiting www.wirelessamberalerts.org or by texting the word AMBER followed by a space and their 5-digit ZIP code to 26237. Wireless AMBER Alerts is a free public service of the wireless industry, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the United States Department of Justice.