Police Advisory: Gift Card/Social Media Scam
The police are advising residents to “ignore a social media scam offering a $30,000 grant that requires payment of certain ‘fees’ to receive the supposed funding.”
“One incident of this nature was reported to police over the weekend, where an unsuspecting resident was contacted on Facebook messenger by an unknown person offering a $30,000 grant cheque,” a spokesperson said.
“The only requirements? Payment of courier service fees and customs clearance taxes for the supposed grant cheque by purchasing iTunes gift cards, then sending back photos of each card’s validation code.
“The scammer[s] then indicated that the grant money would be received shortly – but blocked the intended recipient from messaging them any further. Inquiries regarding this matter continue.
“As a reminder, any offers of money via social media are highly suspect and information such as purchased gift card validation codes should never be sent to unknown persons over the internet.
“To report any incidents of suspected fraud, please contact the Financial Crime Unit on telephone number 247-1757.
“Advice on how to avoid and report scams can also be found here.”
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