Scammer Alert: Leesburg Resident Tricked by Telephone Scammer

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — A Leesburg woman was tricked by a scammer who said he was her grandson and needed money, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office (LCSO).

Deputies say that the victim reported receiving a call from a person who she believed to be her grandson. The
caller claimed to have been in an accident in Canada and needed to pay monies for damage to his rental
car.

The victim complied by obtaining iTunes gift cards and providing the information to the caller. The
subject continued to call back and stated they needed additional monies.

The victim complied multiple times before talking with her grandson and discovered the call was a scam, according to the LCSO.

Scammers often push victims to pay using iTunes gift cards, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). One tactic is to pose as a family member who needs help quickly. The scammer may ask for payment on an iTunes gift card since it is nearly impossible to track them and get your money back.

If you’re not shopping at the iTunes store, you shouldn’t be paying with an iTunes gift card, according to the FTC. Other payment methods scammers might ask for include Amazon gift cards, PayPal, reloadable cards like MoneyPak, Reloadit, or Vanilla, or by wiring money through services like Western Union or MoneyGram.

If you get targeted by a scam like this, report it to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint. To learn more about avoiding scams, visit: 10 Ways to Avoid Fraud.