CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — On Wednesday afternoon, an officer was dispatched to the Ross County Law Enforcement Complex where they were met by a woman who stated that she was scammed by an individual located in New York.
The victim told the officer that she was messaged one day by the scammer, who claimed that she would receive $2.5 million and a new car. When she asked if everything was free, the unknown individual stated that it would be, but to claim her “prize” she had to send them money in the form of Visa debit cards. The Chillicothe local then purchased the cards and sent the numbers to them via text message.
The woman was advised by the officer to contact her bank to see what assistance they could provide, but as she willingly purchased the debit cards, there may be nothing that can be done. The victim told the police that she had been in a similar situation before but quit texting the scammer before sending them any money.
Going forward, the woman plans to block the New York scammer and change her number, and if any money is stolen from the account directly, she will bring her statements to the banking facility to try to combat this. As of now, no money has been stolen. Overall, she is just concerned with identity theft.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau advises to prevent fraudulent cases like these that no one give out their personal information, such as their banking account information or debit card numbers. They also stress not to pay up front for any supposed prizes that are being offered. The Bureau stresses that if it sounds too good to be true, then it likely is.
