Join the conversation! She was on her cellphone, talking to a man who had identified himself as Officer Johnson from the IRS. Fortunately, thanks to an arrangement among Google, the IRS and her local police department, she could easily make a down payment on her debt and avoid jail. How they are going to be used? She and the clerk went gif the store manager, Tim Day, who explained that she was being scammed and had her hang up. The effort to separate Ituhes from her money was. The good news: As awareness of gift-card use in scams grows, so do the efforts to head off catd scams. Part of that involves employee training. Apple, Best Buy and Target also say they train employees to be on the lookout for people who may be buying gift cards while in the midst of being defrauded. Other measures include limits on the purchase and use of gift cards.
Replace a lost or stolen gift card
A well-meaning church congregation in Nebraska was duped out of money after receiving an email from their pastor requesting iTunes Gift Cards for a parishioner with cancer. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, wrote in the email. The problem: Bauwens never wrote the email asking for the iTunes Gift Cards. It was a scammer. Thousands of people have been scammed out of their hard-earned money thanks to iTunes Gift Card Scams. The reason why scammers ask for iTunes Gift Cards is simple: The codes are hard to trace — and once they have it they can resell to get money. The popularity of the iTunes Gift Card scam coincided with the decline of money order scams. Before, scammers would ask people to send money via Western Union or other wire transfer providers. Ohlhausen said last year.
Tips to avoid becoming the victim of a scam
And to top it off, scammers found a way to target people receiving the settlements by posing as representatives of Western Union. He was a victim of an iTunes Gift Cards scam and sent money he thought was intended for his niece. Until they find a way to fix the iTunes Gift Card scam, people just need to use common sense when dealing with people online — and never take someone at their word. Always confirm with the company before sending money — and no love interest is going to ask for money to come visit you. The Big Stories. The iTunes Gift Card scam is one of the most common ways people are conned out of their cash. By Meagan Morris Published : July 12, Recommended Slideshows 35 Pictures. Tags: scams. Latest From Drink like a Mexican kingpin: ‘El Chapo’ beer launched by daughter. Moonstruck: Japanese billionaire’s girlfriend entrants top 20, Brain freeze: Russian firm offers path to immortality for a fee Spotify launches playlists for dogs left home alone.
Tips to avoid becoming the victim of a scam
About one-third of people who reported fraud to the Federal Trade Commission through September of this year say they were asked to pay with a gift card or reloadable card. In fact, the FTC says gift cards are now the number one payment method that con artists use. How are gift cards used in scams? Typically in the con, scammers call or email people, outline some scenario in which they need immediate money, and ask for payment via a gift card. They simply ask for the gift card number and the PIN on the back. Anyone can fall victim to a financial scam, but older consumers are particularly at risk. This week, for example, a Quartz investigation uncovered a scheme in which dozens of older consumers lost large sums of their retirement savings when they bought over-priced gold and silver after being targeted by Facebook ads. Scammers have become increasingly adept at making phone calls and emails sound and look legitimate. Even Peter Santis, who works at a password-security software firm, was nearly tripped up by a fake email scam. He learned it was fake only after he called his boss to double check. Scammers will often have an address that looks accurate but is one or two letters off.
What to Do If You’ve Been Scammed
Anytime you’re asked to buy iTunes cards or any gift cards and read the numbers or send photos of the cards to someone else, it’s almost surely a scam. A column on personal finance advice. The scammer asked for iTunes cards for women in a cancer clinic, the sort of ministry my pastor has been doing. They even adopted a tone and language that sounded like my pastor, and I never questioned the legitimacy of the email. I discovered the scam when my pastor announced that the church had been getting suspicious emails. I volunteered to take part in employee training to show them the point of view of someone who thought she could not be victimized, but was fooled by a scammer.
Federal Trade Commission
The scammer tells you that they need to be paid in gift cards in order to remedy the situation and may deter you from contacting the family member to verify the claim. Ozzie August 19, reply. The obvious first step that victims of the iTunes scams do is to find the phone number of the loan company on the email and contact them. Something about, to help set up his phone. May 15, reply. Google Play Get Help. It’s a hard one Cashfloat financial resource center. Never shared my phone number nor any identifying information. Comment Policy This is a moderated blog; we review all comments before they are posted. Jax March 16, reply. I put that number into the database Intelius, come to find out that number belongs to a deceased man that died in How does this help them? Related posts.
Disclaimer
It’s the same person who I video chatted. These advance fees vary. Google Play Get Help. I researched him and checked all data bases including purchasing Intelius which gives you information on people phone numbers Etc. Same story. September 21, reply. Not «military man», was named Eric Frater and also had a cute pic with his dog, a chihuahua one.
Buying A Scammer Gift Cards ( 2 Hours Of Their Time Wasted )
What Are iTunes Scams?
Many different kinds of imposters ask you to pay with gift cards. Someone might call you and claim to be from the IRS, collecting back taxes or fines. But they all have in common an urgent need making money from itunes gift card scam you to send money right away. Imposters will sometimes ask you to wire money to them but, increasingly, they tell you to go put money on a gift card. They may even have you buy several cards at several stores.
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Sometimes, the caller will stay on the phone with you while you go to the store. Once you buy the card, the caller then will demand the gift card number and PIN on the back of the card. Those numbers let them immediately get the money you loaded onto the card. Other kinds of scammers, some of them also imposters, who might demand payment by gift card include:. These are all scams. Every time. If you paid a scammer with a gift card, tell the company that issued the card right away. When you contact the company, tell them the gift card was used in a scam. Ask them if they can refund your money. If you act quickly enough, the company might be able to get your money. Also, tell the store where you bought the gift card as soon as possible.
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