A local woman in Santa Cruz, California, thought she was in a desperate situation after falling for a sophisticated gift card scam. The scammers convinced her that the law had identified her as an identity thief and were about to arrest her unless she quickly transferred her money into gift cards.
The scammer told her that incriminating evidence on her computer showed that someone using her identity was buying child pornography in nine different countries. She believed the authorities would take action if she didn't comply immediately. Feeling panicked, she rushed to her bank and withdrew $8,000 cash, buying four Nordstrom gift cards at one store, another Target card at a different Safeway, and two more Nordstrom cards at a third Safeway.
However, the only person able to recover most of the lost funds was 7 On Your Side. By contacting Nordstrom first, which had already been contacted by Safeway about the suspicious transactions, they managed to block over $3,000 in gift card purchases. A few days later, when Safeway refunded her money, she was relieved to get most of it back.
In light of this case, a message for all victims of scams is clear: be cautious, especially if there are urgent messages claiming that law enforcement or other authorities need your immediate assistance. There will never be such an unexpected call from the government asking you to spend cash on gift cards.
If someone finds themselves in such a situation, they should contact 7 On Your Side immediately and avoid contacting any suspicious numbers as instructed by scammers.
The scammer told her that incriminating evidence on her computer showed that someone using her identity was buying child pornography in nine different countries. She believed the authorities would take action if she didn't comply immediately. Feeling panicked, she rushed to her bank and withdrew $8,000 cash, buying four Nordstrom gift cards at one store, another Target card at a different Safeway, and two more Nordstrom cards at a third Safeway.
However, the only person able to recover most of the lost funds was 7 On Your Side. By contacting Nordstrom first, which had already been contacted by Safeway about the suspicious transactions, they managed to block over $3,000 in gift card purchases. A few days later, when Safeway refunded her money, she was relieved to get most of it back.
In light of this case, a message for all victims of scams is clear: be cautious, especially if there are urgent messages claiming that law enforcement or other authorities need your immediate assistance. There will never be such an unexpected call from the government asking you to spend cash on gift cards.
If someone finds themselves in such a situation, they should contact 7 On Your Side immediately and avoid contacting any suspicious numbers as instructed by scammers.
... a scammer's wild story can almost make you feel bad for falling for it! I mean, the idea that someone's using your identity to buy child pornography in multiple countries? No wonder she felt panicked 
. But the thing is, this type of thing happens all too often online, and people need to be super vigilant 
. The fact that someone like 7 On Your Side was able to recover most of her money just goes to show how important it is to reach out for help when you think you're in a scammer's trap 
. Just remember: if the authorities really needed your cash, they'd find another way to get it 
!
, can't believe this is still happening! Like, how do these scammers even get away with this?! They're basically just preying on desperate people who are already in a vulnerable spot. And the worst part is that she fell for it hook, line, and sinker 
It's just so frustrating when these scams happen and there are no clear warning signs until it's too late 
.
. They're literally lifesavers here! Maybe we can all learn from this and be a bit more vigilant online - you know, use two-factor auth, keep our passwords safe, that sorta thing 
.
u got lucky cuz ur bank called 7 on ur side but what if u cant even do that lol? thats so stressful having to think u got in trouble 4 nothin & have to hand over cash like thats normal lol anyway i was talking 2 my friend who got scammed recently & it was so bad she lost her entire paycheck 
!! I mean i feel bad for her but she almost lost everything to these fake authorities...idk how many people fall for this stuff nowadays. It's like they think we're all stupid or something. Anyway, glad 7 On Your Side stepped in and helped her get most of the money back 
. That's like, whoa! 
. That's a pretty penny... 
and it's crazy how people can get so caught up in the stress of being told you're being investigated for something that's not even true 
. We gotta stay vigilant and not be afraid to ask questions if something seems fishy 
. But here's the thing: there are no authorities calling you outta the blue asking you to spend cash on gift cards, got it? 
If someone reaches out to you with an "urgent" message claiming law enforcement needs your help, just ignore 'em, trust me. 
. If you ever find yourself in a situation like this, don't panic! Just chill out, call 7 On Your Side, and let them do their thing 
.
. I mean, who hasn't heard of these scams where you're basically being guilt tripped into spending your hard-earned cash? It's just too easy for these scammers to get inside people's heads and make them do something irrational. And what's with Nordstrom getting contacted first about the suspicious transactions? Is it because they have better fraud detection or is it just coincidence? Either way, I think it's a total shame that this lady lost most of her $8k. Maybe she should've taken a more... cautious approach and not acted so fast on emotions 
. She must have been absolutely terrified 
. It's crazy how scammers can make you think it's the end of the world 
. Anyone can get caught up in those desperate situations, and it's just not worth losing all your savings like that 
.
! We need more organizations like them fighting scammers and helping victims recover their lost funds.
.
. And the scammers even threw in some made-up drama about child pornography to try and scare her into acting fast 
. Don't trust anyone who asks you to spend cash on gift cards, especially if they're trying to rush you into making a decision 
. Just stay safe out there and don't fall for the scams 
The fact that they were able to block over $3,000 in gift card purchases is just insane. I need to give them a huge shoutout 
and make sure everyone knows how awesome they are 
. And 7 On Your Side is literally heroes too 
