Scammers continuously find creative ways to cheat you out of your money.
Sean Voskuhl with AARP says scammers prefer methods that cannot be traced.
“Like cash or gift cards. Knowing their preference can help you spot the scams. Scammers portraying service providers asking to be paid by gift card, that is a scam 100 percent of the time. Additionally, a quarter of U.S. adults report paying by a gift card to claim a large prize, sweepstakes or lottery. That’s also a popular method scammers use to con you out of your money.”
Another reason scammers like gift cards is the funds generally cannot be recovered.
“Once a person gives a criminal the gift card number and PIN, the money is virtually impossible to recover. Scammers also typically prefer big box store gift cards, like Wal Mart or Target, or pharmacy chain stores like CVS or Walgreens. But it would not be surprising if they target farm and ranch stores. Bottom line, scammers will find the best tactics they can to take your money.”
Voskuhl says it’s important to know how to spot a gift card scam.
“Always remember, if you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam. The AARP Fraud Watch Network has resources to help you do just that. And, we just launched a three year effort to raise awareness around gift card use as payments in scams. Find those resources at aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.”
Learn more from AARP at 9 o’clock Central Time tonight (Thurs.) online at www.aarp.org/aarplive.
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