CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The Clarksville Police Department is warning the public to watch out for the latest round of scams in the area.
Police said three people recently fell victim to these scams and lost significant amounts of money as a result.
In the first scam, and 18-year-old man got a call that said he received a federal government grant for school, but would be required to pay $1,400 to receive it. He realized it was a scam after sending in $1,400 in iTunes gift cards to the scammer.
The second scam involves a job listing. A 22-year-old woman placed her resume on Indeed.com and was contacted by a man who claimed to be from a title company. He sent her a check for $2,900 and told her to buy $2,450 in iTunes gift cards and $850 in Amazon gift cards and scratch-off lottery tickets. The scammer told the victim to send him pictures of the numbers. She also accepted a $400 money order from an unidentified person in Memphis to help pay for the gift cards. At this point, the woman realized she had been scammed and contacted her bank.
In the third scam, a 26-year-old woman received a call from an unknown person who said she had two lawsuits filed against her. The caller asked for personal information and denied that the call was a scam, emphasizing the “seriousness” of the lawsuits. He also mentioned blood at the scene of an accident that had been supposedly traced to the victim, among other things. This made the woman reconsider and she provided her personal information. She did not lose any money but potentially compromised her identity.
Police want to remind citizens not to give out personal information over the phone. In addition, legitimate business transactions do not require you to purchase and send gift cards.