Police Warn Against Gift Card Payment Scam In South Brunswick

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ – The South Brunswick Police Department is warning residents against falling prey to the gift card scam.

Under this scam, fraudsters place calls to residents claiming to be a government agency, IRS or authority figure. Scammer tell residents they owe money to the government agencies and must pay up immediately through gift cards to avoid penalties or jail time.

Similarly, scammers impersonate utility companies and ask residents to pay overdue bills through gift cards or face termination of services.

Another form of the scam may also involve fraudsters claiming to be from a cable TV and internet provider, telling residents they can save money by pre-paying bills for the next few years at an enormous discount by purchasing gift cards and providing the caller with the card number and pin number.

“The truth is that in all of these cases, the victim is out some sum of money, oftentimes substantial, and tracking the scammer to recover funds is difficult or impossible,” the police department said.

The police department has shared a few red flags residents can watch out for when it comes to gift card scams:

• Urgency from someone asking you to buy a gift card is a telltale sign of a scam
• If someone tells you to buy a gift card from a specific store
• Deals that are too good to be true, especially if asked to pay via gift card
• Anyone claiming that you owe money and ask to be paid via a gift card is a scam, especially if they claim to be from any government organization. Government agencies do not ask to be paid with gift cards
• Watch out for statements claiming that buying gift cards is a safe way to make a payment. Providing the numbers for a gift card is like sending cash, and the money is rarely recoverable

If you have been the victim of a scam, you can contact the South Brunswick Police Department at (732)329-4646.

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