The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning this week that thieves are using widely available pre-paid debit cards to scam people, persuading victims to buy the cards and forward the PIN to the scammer.
Thieves are focusing on Green Dot MoneyPaks — reloadable pre-paid debit cards that are available for purchase at grocery and drug stores. The sheriff’s office said scammers use a variety of ways to persuade victims to participate in the scheme.
They may contact a victim via phone or e-mail and claim to be a law enforcement officer, an IRS agent, a debt collector, a utility company representative, or a bail bondsman. The impostor will often threaten to issue an arrest warrant, contact law enforcement, shut off a utility, or arrest a relative unless immediate payment with a Green Dot MoneyPak is made.
Scammers have notified victims they are winners of a lottery prize but that taxes and fees have to first be paid up front via a MoneyPak. They have also held online auction scams where victims pay for goods or services with a MoneyPak but receive nothing for their payment. Lastly, Douglas County officials say scammers are stalking victims on dating websites, attempting to form relationships and then angling for money paid via MoneyPak cards.
Authorities warn that once the scammer has the PIN to a MoneyPak card, that person has immediate access to the money, which like cash, is virtually untraceable.
