Scam Costs Southland Woman Thousands In Gift Card Purchases

If you see that blue screen of death, it most likely is a scam in the works, the Orange County Sheriff's Department reported on Thursday.

Deputies took a report from a resident who inadvertently participated in a scam that cost her $1,000 in Google Play gift cards, Lt. Quyen Vuong reported over Facebook.

She downloaded a virus onto her computer and the Microsoft-looking pop-up appeared, he explained. When the woman called the customer service number, the scammer said that someone had "hacked into her checking account."

The instructions were to buy the gift cards and that would restore her account.

"Unfortunately, she complied with the scammer, read the gift card information over the phone, and lost the money," he said.

Her checking account was never in danger of being "hacked."

The gift card scam is not new. This Microsoft-looking scam is yet another painful and costly reminder to be vigilant with your personal information, and suspicious of anyone who looks for payment through gift cards.

Vuong released these reminders in hopes of helping others avoid this costly mistake:

• Never pay with gift cards.
• Call your bank directly, and never through a number provided over email or given to you over the phone by a potential scammer.
• Do not open email attachments from unknown sources.
• Never adhere to a "sense of urgency" by the caller.

Scammers are notorious for insisting you move quickly in following their requests or demands.

"Trust your instincts and always call a trusted friend or the police/sheriff's department for assistance" in time of trouble.