Scammers Target MD Small Businesses In Green Dot Hoax: State

BALTIMORE, MD – Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh is warning Small business owners across the state are increasingly a target of scammers impersonating utility companies and others, claiming that the businesses owe money, says Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh. The thieves threaten to cut off service if the business doesn’t immediately pay via a Green Dot card, a type of prepaid credit card that can be loaded with a specific amount of money and sent to someone else, making it a popular choice among scammers.

The scam works by intimidating and threatening small business owners, generally with a phone call, into believing that one of their utilities is about to be cut off, or some of their wholesale products have a balance that must be paid before delivery, Frosh said in a news release. The scammer will instruct their target to purchase a Green Dot card and to load the amount of the outstanding payment onto the card. The scammer will then ask for the card information to access the money.

“No legitimate business or utility will call and ask you to make a payment using a Green Dot card,” said Frosh in a press release. “This is a scam, pure and simple. Don’t become a victim; just hang-up if you receive a suspicious call.”

Authorities say it is difficult, if not impossible, to recoup money stolen by a criminal using the “Green Dot card” scam. A small business could suffer significant financial losses, even the loss of the business itself, if the owners fall for the scheme. Never provide any type of payment or financial information to a caller asking you to pay a debt using a prepaid credit card, gift card, or express money transfer, Frosh's office says.

If you have received a call from someone impersonating a utility company representative, who asks you to make an immediate payment via a prepaid card or money transfer, call the Maryland Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 410-528-8662 to report it.

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