Victim loses $265K in gift card scam

A Key Largo resident recently lost more than $265,000 in a gift card scam on Facebook.

The case comes at a time when the Sheriff’s Office took a report of another Monroe County resident also losing tens of thousands of dollars in a similar scam.

Most of these cases involve the scammer(s) posing as government officials, business opportunists, family members or friends, instructing the victim to purchase gift cards to quell some fake legal/billing issue such as a warrant, missed jury duty, unpaid utility/taxes, fire inspection, etc.

Anyone requesting that you to buy gift cards for payment is an immediate red flag!

Never give your personal information via unsolicited social media inquiries, phone calls, texts, or emails — particularly when using electronic banking platforms such as CashApp, PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle.

Always hang up and call the appropriate agency or family member the scammers claims to be affiliated with.

Help the Sheriff’s Office spread the word and keep an eye on our social media pages for the latest scam alerts.

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