Boss Request Scam Dupes Woman In Ashburn: LCSO

ASHBURN, VA—A woman who thought she was dutifully fulfilling a request from her boss instead fell victim to a familiar CEO scam Thursday in the 41000 block of Greenlook Way, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.

Earlier that morning, she received an email from what appeared to be the president of her business. The woman was asked to purchase Google Play prepaid cards and provide the codes to her boss via email. She did just that before realizing it was a scam.

Similar incidents were reported last month at several businesses in Loudoun County. The FBI has tips to avoid such scams:

The scam typically starts with a spoofed email or text from a person of authority, such as a CEO or HR director, telling an employee to purchase gift cards for the executive to give away or to use to purchase items, say, for a Christmas party. The employee is told to send the gift card information, including the number and PIN, back to the "boss"—really the fraudster—who then can cash out the value before you know there is a problem.

• Look at the email header of the sender. Keep an eye out for email addresses that look similar to, but not the same as the ones used by your work supervisors or peers (abc_company.com vs. abc-company.com).
• Be wary of requests to buy multiple gift cards, even if the request seems ordinary.
• Watch out for grammatical errors or odd phrasing.
• Notice language that tries to pressure you to purchase the cards quickly.
• Finally, be wary if the sender asks you to send the gift card number and PIN back to him.
• Don't rely on email alone. Talk to your CEO directly.