Athens PD press release
Recently there has been an increase in the amount of scams in which victims are instructed to use payment or gift cards such as iTunes gift cards. These scams haven’t changed much, if any, in the manner in which they are presented to a victim. A common scheme may be an IRS or Jury Duty scam in which threats of jail or arrest are made to the victim. Another could be a “Lottery” scam in which a fee is due before the winnings are made available. It could even be an attempt to sell or purchase an item on websites such as Ebay or Craigslist or a loan using an internet loan provider. All of the scams work pretty much the same in that, at some point, a demand for payment is made to the victim. The increasing trend is that card payment systems are used. These may include gift cards such as iTunes or even pre-paid Visa or Mastercard cards. All of the cards referred to in the scams are loadable card payment systems.
In many cases the victim is required to stay on the phone with the scammer for the duration of the scam. Other may be contacted by email or through social media such as Instagram or Facebook. Regardless of the method of contact, the victim is instructed to purchase these cards and provide the codes on the cards to the scammer.
“Red Flags” to consider are that government agencies, financial institutions, lotteries, loan companies, etc. do not do business using loadable card payment systems. Obviously iTunes does do business using iTunes gift cards however the iTunes gift cards are for use on the iTunes store and not with other businesses. This would be the same with any merchant-specific gift card.
Should you be instructed to use any loadable card payment system for payment to any law enforcement or criminal justice entity you should immediately stop speaking with that person. Contact the actual agency using their primary phone number and report that activity. Law enforcement and court systems do not conduct business in that manner.
Stop and think about what the person is asking you to do and ask common sense questions before you commit to anything. If you are ever concerned about the validity of a payment demand you receive, consult with your local law enforcement agency.