The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office says several residents have lost thousands of dollars in recent months on pre-paid card scams, and they’re warning you to be on alert.
This scam involves someone claiming to be in an official capacity calling or emailing a victim and making a statement or threat that requires payment to resolve. The scammer tells the victim to get a pre-paid card, like a Green Dot card, and contact them to give them the number.
The scammer could be anyone from someone posing as a utility worker and demanding payment in order to keep your power on, to someone claiming to be with the IRS and claiming you are delinquent on your taxes and need to pay up immediately. Another common scheme is the scammer posing as someone with a jail or kidnapper, demanding payment in order to free your friend or family member, and NCSO says they’ve even seen reports of scammers requiring payment for you to claim alleged lottery winnings. In all of these cases, it is possible for the scammer to mask their phone number or mimic legitimate websites.
NCSO says none of these institutions will ever demand credit card or other payment information immediately over the phone. If you want to verify the legitimacy of any call or email you receive, NCSO says you can contact them at 904-225-5174.
If you have been targeted, you should report it to the Federal Trade Commission. You can contact NCSO if you have already fallen for a scam like this.
