Norfolk Residents Targeted in GreenDot MoneyPak Scam Using NSO Employee Names
The Norfolk Sheriff's Office has been notified that a Norfolk resident was recently swindled out of thousands of dollars in a Green Dot MoneyPak Card scam. The resident was told that she failed to appear at a trial during which she was supposed to be a witness. The victim stated the number on the Caller ID returned to the main number for the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office and the caller mentioned the names of several Norfolk Sheriff’s Office personnel during the conversation. The caller stated the victim owed multiple fines for failing to appear in court and was instructed to use a GreenDot MoneyPak card to send the money to the Sheriff’s Office or she would be arrested.
THIS IS A SCAM.
As a reminder, the Norfolk Sheriff's Office will NEVER call asking for money and will never utilize GreenDot MoneyPak cards as a form of payment.
Here are a few tips to help residents avoid falling victim to this scam:
• Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.
• Never give card number and/or receipt information from your MoneyPak purchase to someone you don’t know or share that information by email or phone.
• Remember, government agencies will never contact you demanding immediate payment using a MoneyPak card.
ADDITONAL INFORMATION:
GreenDot MoneyPak cards themselves are legitimate products when used for the right purposes. Once purchased at a participating retailer with cash, consumers can use MoneyPaks to reload other prepaid cards, add money to a PayPal account without using a bank account, or make same-day payments to major companies. Because the cards can only be bought with cash, consumers never need to disclose their personal or financial information to a retail cashier or to make a payment. While many schemes still involve scammers asking for funds to be wired to them, MoneyPaks have the added benefit of the scammer not having to show up at an office to claim the funds. Anyone with the 14-digit number found on the back of the MoneyPak card can drain the card of funds. In all of these examples, the intended victims are instructed to buy a Green Dot MoneyPak cards, load the amount of the fine or other money owed onto the card and then provide the number on the back of the card to the scammers, who will then drain the funds from the card.
YOU’VE FALLEN VICTIM TO THE SCAM, NOW WHAT?
If a resident has fallen victim to this scam and sent money to the callers, they should call the Norfolk Police Department's Economic Crimes Division at 757-664-7018 to file a report. Additionally, please contact the Norfolk Sheriff's Office's Consumer Protection Unit to file a report.