CHENANGO COUNTY – The New York State Police continue to receive reports of gift card scams occurring throughout the Chenango County area, and are warning people that if they get a phone call from someone asking for money, they should do some research before sending anything over.

According to New York State Police Troop C Public Information Officer Aga Dembinska, tens of thousands of dollars were lost to scammers in 2020 in the Chenango County area, and more reports of scams have continued to flow in since the start of 2021.

“The moral of the story is no one is giving money out for free, and a gift card is intended to be a gift, not as payment for a service,” said Dembinska. “If someone calls, texts, emails or messages you on social media and asks you to send money in the form of a gift card, it’s probably a scam.”

Dembinska said typically the elderly are falling victim to these scams, but there have been reports of younger adults sending gift cards or money after receiving calls that they owe taxes. She said scammers have also been preying on people’s religions, pretending to be priests or rabbis asking for funds.

“They often ask you to take a picture of the card showing the gift card number and ask for the PIN, if there’s one associated with the card,” she added. “Once the scammer gets the money off the card, it’s gone and often without a trace.”

“Some of the scams include asking to help local small businesses, posing as a religious organization, claiming they’re from the IRS and you owe money, a loved one is in jail, saying you’ve won a prize, or sending a check asking to cash it.”

Dembinska said the scammers will try to create a sense of urgency, and that people can’t wait to do research or contact a family member directly to see if they need help. She added that if a person does make a payment, it’s likely that the scammers will return for more money in the future.

“There was a case where someone received a call claiming to be an association that was helping small businesses,” she said. “The victim sent money to help, and the scammer just kept returning with more issues related to small businesses.”

“It’s tough because a lot of people are worried about local businesses right now, so that’s how the scammers take advantage of them and change their tactics.”

Dembinska said if you or you know someone that paid with a gift card, call the card company and let them know the card was used in a scam – there may be a chance the money hasn’t been taken yet.

She said the Federal Trade Commission also collects information about scams at ftc.gov/complaint, and if you have lost money, contact your local law enforcement agency.