FACEBOOK users should beware of a “rich grandmother” looking to scam victims out of thousands of dollars in exchange for a “gift.”
After receiving a message from an elderly lady who claimed to be wealthy, a Georgian woman was conned out $15,000 after she received a scammer’s note.
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According to reports, the Jackson County woman received $1.5 million plus a brand new home as part of this scheme. The Athens Banner Herald.
A Facebook message was the first way to contact this woman.
However, before she could access the funds, the woman needed to pay $15,000 in taxes to the “rich grandmother.”
According to the outlet, a report from the sheriff stated that the woman from Braselton had spent many weeks shopping for gift cards from Razer Gold, Foot Locker, and Apple.
She then sent photos of the cards and their activation numbers to the “rich grandmother” via Whatsapp.
The photos were then received by the woman, who was sent checks totalling $50,000, $15,000, and $2,000.
According to the Athens Banner Herald, however, all three checks were returned unpaid.
Throughout the con, the woman also was in contact with “two men with foreign accents.”
According to reports, they identified themselves as the lawyer and brother of the grandmother.
According to reports, they also claimed that she told the Georgia woman who reached out on Facebook that her grandmother was rich from winning $343 in the Powerball lottery drawing.
Weeks later, she is now out for $15,000.
“There is no hope because she gave them the information for the PIN number of the back,” Sheriff Janis Mangum said last week.
Magnum explained that she regularly warns residents against sending gift cards with money to someone they don’t know.
“I feel like I’m beating a dead horse,” she said.
“I put this out all the time.”
Avoid sending private or financial information, such as money, to anyone you don’t know via the Internet.
Be careful not to click on suspicious links and documents.