PALOS HILLS, IL — A Palos Hills resident lost thousands of dollars in a gift card scam when she deposited a check for a stranger, reports said.
Officers went to the 8400 block of 100th Place for a report of deceptive practice on Jan. 4. The resident told police she received a check for $4,700 and was directed to deposit it in her account. She was then asked to buy eight $500 gift cards and take front and back photos of each card, and text them to a 210 area code number. The remaining $700 was hers to keep.
Five days later, the bank called the resident to let her know the check was fraudulent. The resident had a negative balance of $4,000. The number that the cards were texted to had also been disconnected.
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Gift card scams have become prevalent. The victim is contacted by phone, email, text or via social media, with promise of getting paid to help someone do something, Trailhead Credit Union said. The victim is mailed a fake check or asked to provide their mobile banking information, so the scammer can deposit the check directly to their account.
The scammer instructs the victim to send gift cards purchased with the money, but says they can ‘keep’ a portion of the funds for their help. By the time the check is discovered to be fraudulent, the victim is left with a negative balance. Victims of gift card scams are liable for the losses.
