The Seniors vs. Crime unit at the Clinton County Sheriff's office says a gift card scam has cost local seniors thousands of dollars. Once the scammers have their target on the phone, they spin a tale that is both believable -- and costly.
Retiree Linda Bailey recently started a new treatment for lung cancer. Just when she and her husband, a disabled veteran, thought they couldn't handle anything more on their plate, they received an email that appeared to be from Amazon.
"It was very stressful. It wore us out," Bailey said. "Because you’re running back and forth and believing what they’re saying."
It indicated that they had purchased a laptop for $1,099, but it was being shipped to an address they didn't recognize. The email also included an 800 number to dial in case they believed the order was made in error.
"They manufacture it from the get-go," said Randy Meier, director of Seniors vs. Crime. "Then they will amp things up and everything’s got to be done right now."
Convincingly playing the part of customer service representatives, the scammers got the Baileys to grant them remote access to the family computer. Once inside, the scammers said fraudulent orders were coming in from around the globe, but it was all a ruse.
"As Mrs. Bailey described, it’s, 'oh look there’s people in Russia, there’s people in China, there’s people in Cuba. There’s people in Delaware?'" Meier said.
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"We need to stop them. Well, then that was their excuse each time," Bailey said.
The scammers told the Baileys in order to stop the transactions, they would need "blocking codes" found on the back of gift cards that they could purchase at local retailers. In reality, the scammers wanted the redemption codes, which can be spent instantly like cash.
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"This cost the Baileys $6,000. Most of it was in Best Buy giftcards," Meier said.
"That’s a lot of money. We’re seniors and we get paid once a month," Bailey said.
Once spent, it's nearly impossible to recover the funds. Meier says it's important for seniors to remember that gift cards are for gifts; they cannot be used to pay taxes, utility bills or post bail.
As for Bailey, she is relieved that the ordeal is over, and she can now focus on her health. But it will take time to recover financially and emotionally from the stress of the event.
"Probably over the four years, this is the first time I cried. Honestly. With everything happening in the last month," Bailey said.