On Wednesday, the Bellefontaine Police Department received a report from a local elderly resident who had fallen victim to a phone scam that cost her thousands of dollars.
According to the police report, the woman said she received a message prompting her to call a number regarding her credit card.
When she called, she spoke with an unknown man who instructed her to purchase Apple gift cards in large amounts.
Following the caller’s instructions, the victim visited local retailers, including Walmart and Dollar General, where she bought at least six $500 Apple gift cards—totaling approximately $3,000.
When she contacted her bank to dispute the charges, she was informed that the transactions were not eligible for reimbursement since they were made voluntarily.
The woman provided the used gift cards, as well as the receipts from the purchases, to the police.
While the victim was unable to provide any identifying information about the scammer, authorities are continuing to investigate.
Police are urging residents to be cautious of unsolicited calls or messages requesting personal or financial information.
Scammers frequently ask victims to pay with gift cards because the transactions are nearly impossible to trace.
