Elderly Fraud Victim Deceived Into Giving $1K In Gift Cards: PA Cops

WORCESTER TOWNSHIP, PA — A local resident in this central Montgomery County community says he was the victim of a scam and is now out $1,000 after he forked over that amount in store gift cards to scammers.

The victim, who is 82 years old, and resides in Worcester Township, reported to the Pennsylvania State Police that he was the victim of theft by deception recently after the man says he was deceived into providing his personal information and then giving thieves two $500 Target gift cards.

Troopers said the man gave the gift cards to someone who he spoke with over the phone and who was described as having a "heavy thick foreign accent," according to a police report from the Pennsylvania State Police Skippack Barracks.

State troopers handle emergency calls in Worcester since the township does not have its own local police force.

The victim, who said he bought the Target gift cards using his debit card, reported the incident to his bank, and bank investigators, along with state troopers, are currently looking into the matter, according to police.

No other information was provided about the nature of the scam call or any details about the conversation between the victim and the person committing the fraud on the other end of the phone line.

Scams like this tend to be more common around the holiday time, and authorities typically warn individuals, especially older residents, to be on the lookout for scam artists who are looking to steal identities and take advantage of folks, especially around the giving time of year.

The website MarketWatch reported last month that cybercriminals are especially out in full force during the holiday season, and that folks are advised to stay vigilant, so they don't become the victim of identity theft or other crimes.

Mike Steinbach, head of Citibank's fraud prevention unit, told MarketWatch that cybercrime in recent time has become more "sinister and significant," and bank account holders should be sure to check their statements on a frequent basis, as opposed to waiting for the monthly statements, to ensure nothing criminal has taken place.

The same article says that the number of older victims to this type of crime has risen at an "alarming rate," with more than 92,000 victims over the age of 60 reporting losses totaling $1.7 billion to the FBI last year along, which represents a 74 percent increase in losses compared with losses reported in 2020.

Typical crimes targeting vulnerable populations such as the elderly include things like identity theft, nonpayment or non-delivery of goods and services, or other tech-supported scams.