Mountain Brook Police Warn Of New Phone Scam

MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL - A new phone scam has been reported to the Mountain Brook Police Department from a local resident, and the MBPD posted the details of the scam to social media to spread the word to other potential victims.

"One of our residents reported getting a text message on their phone," the statement from the MBPD said. "The text indicated it was from a company that owed our victim a refund of a certain amount of money. It further stated that they had been unable to contact our victim by phone, and to call them to get the refund."

Reportedly, when the victim called the number they spoke with a person that directed them to a website. The victim was given instructions on filling out information on that site, then told to type in the amount that had been indicated as the refund. When this was done, the amount changed from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars.

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"The person on the phone then told our victim that there had been a mistake and that it had already gone through to our victim's bank account. The person told our victim to go to their bank and get the amount of difference from the 'refund' amount to the amount that had changed to, and send that amount to him at an address in New Jersey," MBPD reported.

Elements of the scam:

• Robo-text indicating a refund to you
• Has you call a phone number
• Directs you to a website to put in information for the refund
• Website mysteriously changes numbers you input for the refund from hundreds of dollars to thousands
• Person you call says it has already gone through and that you now owe them a refund
• Victims mail or transfer "overpayment" to predator

Image via Shutterstock