Please speak to your loved ones . . .
We took a call for service today regarding a fraud where a local person went to a large chain department store in Rochester, MN and purchased $2,500 in gift cards and then provided the numbers off the cards over the phone to get their computer serviced remotely.
Unfortunately, this was a scam and now this person is out $2,500. Their bank is unable to assist them because they willingly took their funds out and purchased the gift cards.
We called the department store where the cards were purchased and were told it’s their policy to not ID or question customers who purchase gift cards for any amount. We said that’s too bad as some other well known retailers and banks routinely ask questions during transactions like this because they know how scams like this work, how prevalent they are, and they are trying to help cut down on this type of activity.
When we asked if we could use the name of the retailer, in our social media post, they said no. We will respect their request and ask that you, as family, friends, neighbors, etc. take some time and visit with loved ones regarding the numerous ways these criminals prey on the innocent.
We spoke to our victim again and asked if they were OK with us sharing their story so others might learn from this. They said “Of course.”
Please share this or better yet, call your loved ones and visit with them about this and make plans for Mother’s Day while you’re at it.
KPD Staff
This post was originally published on April 29, 2019 at Kenyon Police Department’s Facebook page.
