Coronavirus Gift Card Scammer Fails To Fool Sterling Resident

STERLING, VA — A Sterling resident contacted the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday after receiving a Facebook message about a program called the Coronavirus Financial Assistance Program.

A person had reached out to the resident through Facebook Messenger about an opportunity to pay money using gift cards to obtain relief funds from the so-called Coronavirus Financial Assistance Program, the sheriff's office said Thursday.

The resident realized it was a possible scam and did not provide any gift card information. The resident then contacted the sheriff’s office on Wednesday to report the attempted scam.

Other residents have not been as fortunate. Some have given perpetrators gift card information or access to their bank accounts before realizing they had been the target of a scam.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office has seen an uptick in complaints about scams involving attempts to collect money. The complaints often involve residents and businesses receiving messages or emails.

Tracking down perpetrators, though, can be a difficult process in which police agencies must analyze IP addresses, gift card numbers and bank accounts.

As of July 8, the Federal Trade Commission had received more than 544,000 consumer complaints related to COVID-19 and stimulus payments, nearly three-fourths of them involving fraud or identity theft. These scams have cost consumers $487.9 million, according to AARP.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Financial Crimes Unit urges residents and business owners to be on the lookout for online scams. If any resident believes they have been a victim of a scam, they should contact the Loudoun County Sheriff's at 703-777-1021 or file a report online at http://sheriff.loudoun.gov/reportonline.

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