On June 7, 2017, a member of the Sheriff's Office received an email from an unknown person.
The e-mail indicated the sender was traveling out of the country for a family emergency and needed assistance. The email address that the email came in from was lwatson707@outlook.com, and the sender signed the email "Lois".
The sender asked the recipient to respond to the email immediately.
On June 8th, the Sheriff's Office employee received a second email from the same email address. The second email indicated the sender "Lois" was traveling to the Philippines to assist a family member who is receiving treatment for cancer.
The sender also indicated the hospital where the family member is receiving treatment is demanding a $2,500 dollar deposit for a scheduled surgery. The sender says they are unable to withdraw the money from their bank because they are in a foreign country, and asks the email recipient for a loan to cover the $2,500 until the sender returns to the United States.
The sender asks the recipient to respond to the email so they can give directions on how to transfer the funds.
The Sheriff's Office is aware of at least one other local resident who received the exact same email request. The Sheriff's Office would like to remind the citizens of Kern County there are numerous scams circulating via the internet and email, and citizens should be aware and never transfer money, provide personal information, or open unknown email attachments.
Incidents of potential scams can be reported to the Sheriff's Office at 661-861-3110.
