Stratford police are reminding the public to be vigilant after a significant increase in calls related to gift card scams.
In one incident, a senior citizen was scammed out of $9,000 after purchasing gift cards from a store in Stratford and sending the information to the scammer, police said in a release.
These scams typically involve the victim receiving a phone call from an individual who identifies themselves as an employee of a legitimate business or government agency. The person presents the victim a problem and requests payment to correct that problem by way of sending gift cards.
The victim is typically directed to purchase gift cards and send the information on the card to the caller, with the funds from that card then being stolen.
Police are asking everyone to speak with their family members and loved ones about the prevalence of these scams to help protect other members of the community from being victimized.
Staff and management of stores where gift cards are sold are also being encouraged to educate themselves on these types of incidents and to engage with customers who are making large gift card purchases.
