Authorities in Westmoreland County are investigating a case where a Derry woman was scammed out of $5000.
State Police say that the victim was a 67-year-old woman living along Route 217 North who received several phone calls from a number that had a Washington D.C. area code. The scammer claimed to be with the secret service and asked her to provide them with money in relation to a federal case and they were not to notify local authorities about it. The victim believed the call was legitimate and bought $5000 worth of Visa Gift Cards. She then called the scammer back and gave them the gift card numbers.
Authorities say you should not provide personal account information to an unsolicited caller and that legitimate concerns would never ask for payment in the form of gift cards. If you receive such a call, you are encouraged to hang up immediately and call the police.
Comments