Phone Scam Costs Rochester Woman $1,600
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Rochester woman fell victim to a phone scam and is out $1,600.
Rochester Police said the 69-year-old woman reported the scam Thursday afternoon. The woman said she received a voicemail from who she believed to be a representative of Spectrum cable and internet, who said that her monthly bill could be cut by as much as 50 percent.
The victim called the number back Wednesday. The scammer said to lower her bill, the woman would have to purchase $700 in 'E-Bay' gift cards and send them to the scammer. The woman complied and went to Hy-Vee and purchased two, $350 gift cards.
The woman gave the number on the back of the gift cards to the scammer, and the scammer said the numbers did not work and she needed to buy two more, this time at Target.
The victim complied and bought two more $350 gift cards and gave the numbers on the back once again to the scammer. This time a different scammer answered, but once again said the numbers didn’t work and she needed to buy two more gift cards, this time one worth $500 and another worth $200.
The woman complied again, giving the gift card number to the scammer. The scammer, for a fourth time, said the numbers didn’t work and the woman should purchase two more.
The victim returned to Target when a Target employee asked her why she was back at the store buying gift cards.
After the victim explained the situation, the Target employee told the woman that she was being scammed.
The victim was originally out $2,100 but was able to cancel one of the $500 cards.
This is the 5th reported scam in the Rochester area this week. RPD said anytime someone asks you for payment in the form of gift cards, it is most likely a scam and you should not comply.
125 Live is hosting a class for adults to give tips on how to identify fraud called “Protecting Yourself From Scams in Today's World”. The classes will be held on September 7th and September 8th. More information can be found on 125 Live's Facebook page.