MBG-2021-10-0579
On October 21st, 2021, at approximately 11:01 am, the victim contacted the police department about contact they received by email. The victim advised the email was purported to have come from the “Geek Squad”. The victim was directed to contact them by phone, which the victim did. The victim was told their “service” needed to be renewed. They were told it would cost $700 to renew. The victim advised them they did not wish to pay that much for the service. The individual told the victim they would be charged a much lower rate. While speaking with the victim they were told by the individual, too much money had been placed into the victim’s bank account. The individual stated they made an error when charging for the service and put money into the victim’s account. The victim was directed to purchase a total of 5 gift cards, in the amount of $500 each, in order to reverse the charges. The victim did so, but when asked to purchase 4 more gift cards, the victim contacted the police department. The victim, who resides in the 300 block of Gale Street was advised this was a scam and to cease all contact with the individual. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the police department.
Please remember – if a business of any kind, asks for you to purchase gift cards as a form of payment, you can be pretty sure this is some sort of a scam. Do not hesitate to contact the police department, and inquire the thoughts of officers, to determine if you might suspect a scam.