A new twist on a familiar scam targeting the elderly – WBTV

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) – A Rowan County woman was scammed out of thousands of dollars in a slightly new twist on a familiar scam that targets the elderly.

According to a report at the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, a man contacted deputies to say that his 82-year-old mother had been scammed. The man said that his mother received a phone call on March 10 from a man claiming to be an FBI agent. The caller told the woman that she had an outstanding warrant for money laundering.

The woman was said to be “frightened by the conversation.” The caller told her to go to CVS, Walgreen’s, and the Circle K gas station on Statesville Blvd. in Salisbury to purchase several gift cards. The woman purchased four $500 gift cards and four Google gift cards at $50 each. The man then called back and had the woman to read the cards to him so that he could access the money.

Sensing something was wrong, the woman went to her bank to start a fraud investigation.

Chief Deputy David Ramsey of the Rowan Sheriff’s Office says that calls like this are not legitimate. No law enforcement agency will instruct people to purchase git cards in order to satisfy a debt. Ramsey says callers should hang up when such calls are received.

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