Ex-trooper target of scam

WASILLA — Dallas Massie spent the better part of three decades protecting Mat-Su Borough and state residents from criminals during his long career with the Alaska State Troopers.

That’s why the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman was surprised and concerned to learn the former AST sergeant was allegedly a victim of the same sort of crime he spent most of his adult life fighting.

“I’m writing to let you know my trip to London has been a mess,” reads the email that came to the Frontiersman newsroom last week. “I was having a great time, but not until last night when I got mugged and lost all my cash, credit card and cellphone.”

The email, purportedly from Massie, goes on to say he was assaulted, hit in the back of the head and suffered bruises to his right arm. Unfortunately, however, he was stuck in London without any ID or money to get back home to the Valley. All he needed was 1,300 pounds (about $1,670 in U.S. currency), which he promised to pay back when he returned.

Sounds like a dire situation — someone we know is in trouble.

“That’s how the scam works,” Massie said when reached at his home in Wasilla. “I’ve heard about this before, but usually the scammers try to say they’re a grandson or something and try to get an elderly parent or grandparent to send money.”

For the record, Massie said he was never in London, was not mugged and anyone receiving an email asking to send him money should ignore the request.

“As soon as you identify what it is, close it and don’t respond to it in any way, shape or form, because it’s obviously a scam,” he said. “First of all, anybody who knows me knows I’m not going to London; I’m a cheapskate.”

The type of email scam that “borrowed” Massie’s identity is one of the more popular scenarios with online thieves today, said Officer Rick Manrique of the Wasilla Police Department. Instead of getting an email out of the blue from someone you don’t know claiming you’ve won a foreign lottery or that you can get a cut of a large inheritance from someone you’ve never heard of, this approach apparently gains access to a person’s email address book and sends out pleas to people who would know the sender.

“What they’re doing, basically, is they’re taking your email and mining for your contacts,” Manrique said.

He said he also agrees with Massie that the solicitations for help often target older people who may less tech savvy, claiming to be grandchildren or other family members in need.

It’s a scam that’s been making the rounds locally. Massie said his wife recently was the target of a similar email, as well as former Alaska Superior Court judge Beverly Cutler.

Although unsolicited emails asking for money are clearly recognizable to many as inauthentic, Manrique said there are enough people who fall for them to keep the scammers going.

“If it seems to be coming from someone you know, I would think they would call you to find out,” he said. “I’m shocked that anybody takes this stuff seriously and follows through with it. But you never know. I had a guy arguing with me a few months ago that he had won some lottery and they just needed $1,500 in processing fees.”

In the end, there’s not much local law enforcement can do about email scams except to urge caution, Manrique said.

“Obviously, double check your facts and check with their family,” he said. “Then, we would refer them to the Secret Service at a website (to report scams) at ic3.gov.”

As far as Massie’s concerned, he doesn’t know how anybody got access to his computer’s address book, but said that “as soon as I’m done talking to you, I’m going to get on the computer and see if people are sending me email to see if I’ve escaped my ordeal in London.”

And for the record, Massie said he’s fine; however, “if you want to send me money anyway, that’s OK.”

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.