Gift Card Scam

In the last few months, the North East Crime Reduction Team have noted an increase in the number of members of the public being cold called by fraudsters claiming to be officials from various government departments, advising they have an outstanding debt to a government agency such as HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) or DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) and more recently requesting amounts to be paid to unlock a PPI claim.

The caller (fraudster) thereafter requests settlement of the alleged debt by means of purchasing gift cards such as iTunes or store gift cards and more recently gaming vouchers. As the majority of victims are mostly elderly and vulnerable persons they typically feel intimidated and threatened by such a call. The fraudster does not require to have physical control over the card/voucher merely the identifiable code on the rear to have control of the cash amount.

Victims are requested to attend at a local supermarket/store to purchase the gift cards/vouchers and on return will have further contact with the fraudsters at which time they are instructed to reveal the identifier code to the caller. Incidents have been reported of victims being scammed out of thousands of pounds at any one time. Many stores have been very proactive in their efforts to take preventative measures to safeguard their elderly and vulnerable customers and have deterred attempts to purchase cards recently.

The North East has also seen businesses fall victim to this scam with staff being asked to purchase vouchers on behalf of Management. The fraudster uses a similar e-mail to that of a Manager and asks a staff member to buy vouchers on their behalf, often as a reward for staff.

Crime Reduction Officer PC Irvine confirmed: "No legitimate firm, government agency or company will accept Gift Cards as payment. Never use gift cards to pay for anything over the phone or e-mail, including bills or services".

More information on scam awareness and prevention can be found at:

www.cyberaware.gov.uk

www.getsafeonline.org

If you believe you may have been a victim of a scam, contact your bank or financial institution immediately. Report to Police Scotland directly by calling 101 or online via Contact Police Scotland. Every report assists police investigations, provides intelligence, informs national alerts that protect all communities, disrupts criminals and reduces harm.

In the UK you can forward scam text message to OFCOM on 7726 (free of charge), and forward suspicious emails to: report@phishing.gov.uk

Original Message Sent By: Mark Irvine (Police Scotland, Constable, A Div - Grampian).