Fraudsters posing as Amazon customer service representatives scammed a local woman out of $5,900 this week.
The 41 year-old Clayton resident reported Monday that she received a phone call from a man who claimed to be with Amazon. The caller stated that her Amazon account had been used to make $2,200 in fraudulent purchases. The scammer said the only way to clear up the account was for her to obtain Target and eBay pre-paid gift cards and provide them with the card numbers.
The victim went to two Clayton area businesses to obtain several gift cards. The victim then provided the card numbers to the male caller. A female posing as an Amazon employee then contacted the victim stating she needed to provide additional pre-paid gift cards. The victim complied. Altogether, the victim provided the two scammers with $5,900 in pre-paid gift cards.
Currently there are at least seven different scams using Amazon’s name. Gift card scams are the most prevalent. To avoid being scammed, ignore the calls and emails and never send in pre-paid cards for payment to anyone you don’t know. The scammers are in no way associated with Amazon. They are using the company’s name to swindle money from victims.
