Gift Card Scams on the Rise Again

Wenatchee police are warning people to watch out for gift card-type fraud after the department noticed a recent increase in the scam.

Captain Edgar Reinfeld stated that while there have been several different versions, all of the scams involve buying gift cards and then providing the information to the scammer.

"The real reminder here is that nobody accepts gift cards that you bought for (a different business)." explained Reinfeld, "The Green Dot Visas of course are one thing, it is basically providing you with that 16-digit credit card number. But even that, no one legitimate is going to send you to WalMart, for example, to buy $5,000 in Green Dot gift cards to make a payment."

According to the department, several local people having lost thousands of dollars recently to the scam artists.

"No law enforcement agency is going to accept gift cards as payment to avoid an issue with warrants or a jury summons, which is a scam we see." continued Reinfeld, "We see tons of electrical utility (imposters). Call the utility directly. Do not provide information to anybody allegedly calling from one of those sources. Very similar to the IRS and Social Security they don't contact you by phone, they do it by mail."

If you have been the victim of this sort of fraud, please report it to Rivercom at 663-9911.