GLOUCESTER – The following information is being released in regards to another recent scam which has targeted elderly residents in our community. It is our hope that this information will be passed on to elderly family and friends to better inform them of the deceptive tactics used by phone and internet scammers.
Recently a resident was contacted via phone by a person identifying themselves as an Amazon representative, asking the victim if they had recently purchased an Apple computer being delivered to a New York address. The caller then transferred the victim to a representative of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) who identified themselves as Special Agent Adam Ferguson who further provided the victim with a picture of a Special Agent badge and ID in a black case.
The alleged Special Agent told the victim that he had checked her Social Security Number (SSN) and that her bank accounts were being used to send money overseas. The caller then told the victim that someone at her bank is involved and not to talk to them about it.The caller then instructed the victim to send a wire transfer with a sum of money to Steve’s Rare Coins in order to purchase coins to protect their money. After making the money transfer, a meeting was set up with Steve’s Rare Coins, to receive the coins. They were then instructed to hand them over to a courier who arrived at the house.Several days later a second request was made to transfer another predetermined amount of money, again to Steve’s Rare Coins, this time for gold bars.Another meeting was set up to receive the gold bars and transfer them to a courier who again arrived at the house to collect them.The victim was ultimately defrauded out of a large sum of money. This crime has been reported to the FTC as well as the FBI IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center).
The purpose of this post is to be aware of the warning signs of a scam and to educate residents. The scammers will try to target the elderly population. They will always try to isolate the victim and make them fearful of telling their family or reporting the incident to law enforcement. Please be vigilant with giving personal information out over the phone and always be looking for red flags such as transferring money for gold coins or purchasing gift cards to pay off debts.
red flags such as transferring money for gold coins or purchasing gift cards to pay off debts.
