CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Clarksville police are warning the public about a scam that nearly cost a woman $17,500.
The 86-year-old woman entered what she thought was a legitimate ‘Mega Millions’ contest, but it turned out to be an overseas scam.
RELATED: Tennesseans lost over $18 million to scammers, fraud in 2018
The victim was called multiple times a day and asked to pay taxes on her supposed winnings. The scammers told the woman to purchase Amazon gifts cards worth $3,500.
The store clerk tried to convince the woman not to purchase the cards, but the woman said the cards were for her grandchildren, which is the story the scammers told her to use. The woman then gave the card numbers to the scammers by phone.
In addition, the scammers also convinced the victim to write two checks for $7,000 each and send them to a Brooklyn, New York address. Fortunately, her daughter was able to intervene before the checks were cashed and stopped the transaction.
While the officer was taking the report for the fraud, the scammers called and the officer spoke to the scammers in an attempt to strop them from pestering the woman.
GIFT CARD SCAMS
Gift cards scams are an increasingly common way for scammers to profit off consumers with good intentions. Last year, Tennesseans lost nearly $1 million to gift card scammers. Scammers will pose as an online love interest or a distant family member faced with a financial bind. Instead of a wire transfer or cash, the scammers will persuade the consumer to purchase gift cards (often iTunes or Google Play) and provide them with the redeemable code on the back of the card. (This method is optimal for scammers because the scam is hard to trace.) Consumers who receive a request for payment using iTunes gift cards that they believe may be a scam should report it to the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) at ftc.gov/complaint.