Recently Lehigh Acres residents have reported a postcard that states the recipient is eligible to receive $100 in gift savings only good at Wal-Mart or Target. These postcards are appearing in mailboxes around the county.
Sadly, this is the gift (card) that keeps on giving…right into the scammer’s pockets. Postcards are being dropped into the mailboxes of residents in Lehigh Acres telling them they are trying to reach them with exciting news about an unclaimed reward.
They ask the recipient to call them at a toll free number to claim their gift card. The sender lists a claim number at the bottom of the card. Once you call the number listed, you are urged to provide a “Visa or MasterCard number to cover a processing fee of $6.95 for activation and shipping to your mailing address”.
This is a new twist on a familiar scam involving gift cards that used e-mail and text messaging in the past. Now it appears scammers are specifically targeting seniors who may not be familiar with texting and email communication.
Be suspicious of any contest or sweepstakes that asks for an upfront fee, said Lee County Sheriff Department. Legitimate sweepstakes companies will not ask you to pay handling fees, taxes or other charges. Winning is free; a gift is something given willingly to someone without payment.
Wal-Mart and Target have no connection with reward and gift savings sweepstakes and do not partner with agencies that encourage consumers to spend money on “sponsor offers” in the belief that they will eventually receive a high value gift card. However, after fulfilling the “sponsor offers” the consumer may never even receive the gift card.
Protect yourself:
· Do not provide personal information to claim “prizes” or sign up for “free trial”.
· Never give your credit card number, social security number or bank account information to pay for fees, taxes, or shipping costs for anything that you may have ‘won’ or are getting for ‘free’. A true sweepstakes will not make a winner pay fees.
· Check your bank statements and credit cards on a regular basis for unauthorized charges
· Contact local law enforcement and report any suspicious activity