Senior Richmond couple out more than $8,000 after gift card scam

RICHMOND (NEWS 1130) – A couple in Richmond is out thousands of dollars after falling victim to a gift card scam, which the Better Business Bureau reports is on the rise.

The elderly couple was recently called by someone claiming to be an investigator at their bank, who told them someone had been making purchases on their credit card. He said to help catch the culprit they’d need to buy Google Play gift cards and send him the codes.

At first, they bought $400 worth of Google Play gift cards and shared the redeem codes. The scammer later transferred $2,000 to their account, which made them think they really were helping an investigation. The scammer then called again, saying there were 6 people involved in the fraud and asked for more gift cards.

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The couple was told to go to 3 specific retail stores near their home, which the scammers said had higher valued gift cards in stock. The couple made a total of four trips to three different retail stores to buy more gift cards, and spent a total of $8,300 before realizing they had been scammed.

The scammers had known the couple’s address, the retail stores near their home, and their banking information after hacking their personal computer, according to Better Business Bureau investigators. The $2,000 transferred to the couple by the scammers had actually come from one of the couple’s accounts.

“If anyone is asking you to use your gift card to make a payment, to pay fees, to clear a debt, that is an obvious sign that it’s a scam,” says Karla Davis with the BBB.

More than 1,000 scams reported last year involved gift cards, according to the BBB.

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“People are catching on to the wire transfers and with credit card there is the possibility that the transfer can be traced and stopped. But gift card, they give them that kind of anonymity [scammers] want. It’s almost like the perfect set up for a scammer to get money from people,” adds Davis.

She tells NEWS 1130 if you fall victim to a gift card scam, there’s a chance to recover some costs.

“Make sure you contact the company that issue the card and you let them know that your card was used in a scam and try to see if the money can be refunded to you,” said Davis.

The BBB reminds you gift cards should only be used as gifts and banks will never ask clients to be part of investigations.

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