(Photo Source: commercialmotor.com)

Warning Signs Of A Scammer Calling You

Mary Kulik, who lost a thousand dollars to scammers, is going public with her story, hoping it will prevent others from becoming victims of fraud. Kulik said she got a call from a number listed as her local police department, saying her social security number was linked to bank accounts involved in fraud. In order to “prove” her innocence, they directed her to buy two $500 gift cards from her local Best Buy and hand them over to the scammers.

A person posing as a police officer began “screaming at me that I broke the law, I had a warrant out for my arrest, and they were going to arrest me unless I could prove to them that I did not open these accounts,” Kulik said. “He said just go inside, get two gift cards for $500 each, and come back outside and let me know.”

The scammer told Kulik the local police would meet her outside the Best Buy. Instead, he called back and instructed her to read the gift card information to him over the phone. It was all a scam. The gift cards were quickly cashed out over the Internet–and Kulik lost $1,000.

Authorities say that if you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, saying your account is linked to fraud, you should hang up immediately and alert police.