A Schuylkill County man says he was bilked out of thousands of dollars in an online gift card scam.
According to State Police-Frackville, Troopers were summoned to a home in Cass Township earlier this month for a reported theft.
There, police were told by an 80-year-old man that he was ripped off to the tune of $17,000.
Police say an unknown person hacked into the man’s computer and coerced the victim to withdraw $17,000 from his bank and use that money to purchase gift cards.
In an online gift card scam, marks are conned into purchasing gift cards to pay for something, usually in a high-pressure situation where the victim believes they have to do what the bunco artist says.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, common schemes have the scammer portraying themselves as someone from the government or utility company, from tech support, someone with a prize to reward, or as a family member facing an emergency.
The mark then purchases the gift cards and then gives the codes from them to the scammer. Often times, the scammer will move that money elsewhere, rendering the gift cards worthless.
Because of the nature of the crime, police often have a difficult time tracking down the scammers.
State Police say they’re still investigating the incident in Cass Township.
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