Familiar vacation rental and gift card scams reported

The Sheriff’s Office recently received reports from residents regarding an ongoing problem in the Florida Keys — vacation rental and gift card scams.

The person who reported the vacation rental scam incident realized it was a scam before he lost any money. That case dealt with a property on the 500 block of Ocean Cay Drive in Key Largo. The owners there said this was the second attempt that they know of by scammers using their property. The reporting person stated he found the scam on vrbo.com and that he notified the company.

Meanwhile, the Sheriff’s Office continues to receive reports of people losing money due to gift card scams.

A Plantation Key resident was not so lucky in wake of losing $2,430 in a gift card scam. The victim called a number listed online after losing her Apple ID. The scammer on the other end instructed her to buy five gift cards from three different Upper Keys pharmacy. The suspect remained on the line for approximately three hours while the victim made the gift card purchases and provided the card numbers.

In another case, a Key Largo resident received a phone call from someone claiming to be a U.S. Marshal. The scammer stated the victim had a warrant for her arrest. She was instructed to buy $1,500 in gift cards in order to resolve the warrant. This is a common phone scam involving the use of gift cards.

Residents should know that government agencies (as well as law enforcement agencies and utility companies) will always send you notification of an issue via the mail or in person. Always be alert and aware on the phone. Ask for proof via a letter in the mail. Never give personal information over the phone.

Never make any sort of purchase or monetary transaction with/using gift cards online or via the phone. Gift cards are a giveaway you are being scammed.

Residents should never give personal, monetary or gift card information over the phone — TO ANYONE REGARDLESS OF WHO THEY CLAIM TO BE!

Anyone with information about any crimes should contact the Sheriff’s Office at 305-292-7000. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-471-8477. Tipsters can remain anonymous and if a tip leads to an arrest in the case, the caller may be eligible for a cash reward. Tips may also be submitted online at www.floridakeyscrimestoppers.com or via a text message using the smartphone app called P3 Phone. Tips can also be submitted via social media such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using the @CrimeStoppers305 hashtag.

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