Scam victim's quick thinking stops $10,000 gift card fraud

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 18:15 · Archive

A Sioux Falls man narrowly avoided losing $10,000 after realising he was being scammed.

A Sioux Falls man received a phone notification Wednesday morning about a purchase made on his account. When he called the number provided, a man told him the charge was associated with child pornography and that he needed to speak with a federal agent to clear up the matter.

The person claiming to be a federal agent instructed the victim to secure $10,000 of his own money as part of the 'investigation'. The victim was told to purchase gift cards at a local home improvement store and given a cover story to tell employees. Staff at the store, however, warned him they had seen similar scams recently and questioned the purchase.

After returning home and providing the gift card numbers to the fake agent, the victim had a moment of clarity and realised it was a scam. He contacted his bank and the store to cancel the cards, avoiding any financial loss. Sioux Falls Police say they are seeing many of these scams recently and are urging the public to watch for warning signs, ask questions, and seek advice from loved ones before completing transactions.

How it is being reported

• Sioux Falls Police warn of gift card scam after victim nearly loses $10,000Sioux Falls Police are warning the public to look for scam warning signs after a man narrowly avoided losing $10,000.Dakotanewsnow · 22 Oct, 17:44
• Scam victim prompts SFPD to spread awarenessSIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- Sioux Falls Police is increasing the awareness of scam calls. The awareness stems from a victim that was scammed into buying $10,000 worth of gift cards. On Wednesday morning, authorities said the victim received a notification on his phone about a purchase made on his account. The notification had a [...]Keloland · 22 Oct, 17:32

In this story: Sioux Falls · Sioux Falls Police · South Dakota

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