Pennsylvania State Police Issue Scam Warning

Aly Delp

Aly Delp

Published September 22, 2020 4:26 am
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ERIE, Pa. (EYT) — The Pennsylvania State Police are urging residents to be aware of possible scams.

A recent release from the Erie-based State Police states authorities are urging citizens to be extremely cautious and to avoid providing personal information such as their Social Security number or bank account numbers to unknown persons over the phone or internet.

Police note phone scams often use threats to intimidate and bully a victim into paying. They may even threaten to arrest their victim if they don’t receive the money.

According to police, scammers often alter caller ID to make it look like a legitimate and/or local agency is calling. The callers may use professional titles and fake badge numbers to appear legitimate. They may even use the victim’s name, address, and other personal information to make the call sound official.

Some scammers also use emails that contain a fake document with a phone number or an email address for a reply. They often use official letterhead in emails or regular mail that they send to their victims. They try these ploys to make the scam look official.

Gift cards are also a popular way for scammers to steal money, and the Pennsylvania State Police say they have seen an increasing number of these incidents being reported.

Police say gift cards are for gifts, not payments. Anyone who demands payment by gift card is a scammer. Many different kinds of scammers ask people to pay with gift cards. Someone might call and claim to be from the IRS, collecting back taxes, or fines. The caller might say they are from tech support, asking for money to fix your computer. The caller might even say they are a family member with an emergency and needs money right now.

Scammers will also sometimes ask people to wire money to them but, increasingly, they tell people to go put money on a gift card.

According to police, this is what happens: the caller will often tell you to go buy a popular gift card, frequently iTunes, Google Play, or Amazon. The caller will tell you to get the card at a particular store near you — often Walmart, Target, Walgreens, or CVS. They may even have you buy several cards at several stores. Sometimes, the caller will stay on the phone with you while you go to the store. Once you buy the card, the caller then will demand the gift card number and PIN on the back of the card. Those numbers let them immediately get the money you loaded onto the card. Once they’ve done that, the scammers and your money are gone, usually without a trace.

Other Examples of Gift Card Scams:

– Callers pretending to be from a utility company, telling you to pay your bill by gift card or they’ll cut off your power or water
– Sellers on online auction sites who ask for gift cards to “buy” big items like cars, motorcycles, boats, RVs, tractors and electronics
– Someone posing as a service member to get your sympathy, saying they must sell something quickly before deployment and needs you to pay by gift card
– Callers who say you’ve won a so-called prize, for a sweepstakes you probably never entered — but first, you must use a gift card to pay fees or other charges
– Someone buying something from you, probably online, who sends a check for more than the purchase price — and asks you to give them the difference on a gift card. (That check will turn out to be fake.)

Police say if you suspect a scam, do not give out any personal information, hang up immediately and contact your law enforcement agency.

The Pennsylvania State Police also encourage citizens to look out for their elderly family members due to many scammers targeting them.

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