We told you last week about some tips to avoid Christmas season scams shared by the Better Business Bureau, but we figure it can’t hurt to bring it up again — especially since our neighbors continue to fall victim to holiday Grinches.
Police in Bullhead City are urging residents to be cautious during the Christmas season because they’ve noticed an influx of scammers trying to take advantage of people’s generosity and busy schedules. They said a 77-year-old Bullhead City woman was recently defrauded out of over $30,000 by purchasing gift cards. The victim told police she received a message that her computer was infected with a virus. She called the number provided for assistance. The scam artist asked for all her bank account information so he could make them aware of the hacking on her behalf. He said that she needed to follow his instructions and keep things a secret in order to save her money in her accounts. She spent two days withdrawing cash from her bank accounts and purchased thousands of dollars worth of gift cards from local stores. She then called the scammer and gave him all the gift card and pin numbers. She reported that stores even warned her about scams and asked if she was being forced to buy the gift cards.
Police say it’s best just to hang up on callers who are asking for money —or not answer unknown calls in the…
