Carroll County Sheriff, Ken Pingrey, says that an all too familiar scam is making the rounds in our area yet again. Earlier this week, a gentleman came to his office, convinced that a close friend of his had been incarcerated. He says he talked to him on the phone, and the man on the other end had detailed information that he says confirmed, in his mind, that it was indeed his friend. The victim was then instructed to go to Walmart and purchase two $1,000 gift cards. Once done, he was to call back and provide the code numbers on the cards, including the pin number on the back. Once the victim had complied, the scammer went after even more, saying a mistake had been made and they would need another two $1,000 cards to release his friend. At that point, the local business realized the gentleman was likely being scammed and refused to sell him more cards. The victim sought out law enforcement, but it was because he was convinced his friend was still in jail. Sheriff Pingrey followed up by calling the number provided to the victim, which originated in British Columbia, and spoke directly with the scammer. Pingrey identified himself and asked the man on the other end of the phone if he knew why he was being called. His response, “Because I have been scamming people,” was followed by a hang up when Pingrey asked if he would give the victim his money back. Sheriff Pingrey says that the real danger here is that these people have done their research. They may sound very convincing, but please keep in mind that this type of scam does exist. If contacted, contact the friend or family member directly and/or your local authorities, who will be more than happy to check and see whether or not the person calling has actually been incarcerated. In fact, he adds, anytime something sounds too good to be true, if people are asking you for money in return for even more money and if they are asking for personal information like bank accounts or social security numbers, hang up and do some checking. Another key point to watch out for in determining whether you are being scammed is the form of payment. No law enforcement agency will ask for money orders or gift cards over the phone and will ask that someone come to the office or the jail to work on posting bond.
