Police are urging the public to be extra vigilant if they are contacted by an unknown number via text (SMS) or through WhatsApp, following a report of an Amazon gift voucher scam.
The warning from the PSNI in Ards and North Down comes after a report of an elderly woman being conned in the region of £1000.
Police said the woman received multiple WhatsApp messages from a scammer pretending to be from FedEx shipping firm, asking her to purchase Amazon vouchers.
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District Commander Superintendent Johnston McDowell said: “These vouchers were requested for the release of parcels set to be dispatched for delivery to the woman’s home address.
“After buying Amazon vouchers ranging from £30 to £100 over a period of time, believing the request was legitimate, the woman has since lost a considerable amount of money.
"We cannot stress enough just how important it is to be scam aware and to know how easy it is to fall victim to an SMS or WhatsApp scam, if you don’t spot the warning signs.
“No matter what type of scam it is and the different methods employed, a common element shared by scammers is that they will go to great lengths to trick people and take advantage of their vulnerability and good faith.
“Our message is simple – never disclose your personal or banking details to anyone over the phone, by text message or online, or disclose any gift voucher codes, no matter how convincing they may seem.
“Do not respond to messages sent from unknown numbers, or click links included in the message sent to you.
“Only trust instructions given by the company itself – most companies will not contact you via SMS or WhatsApp.
“Please take extra care and help educate family, friends and elderly neighbours about scams.”
Anyone concerned they have been a victim of a scam, please report the matter to Action Fraud via their website https://crowd.in/KW1kbh or by phoning 0300 123 2040.
Police can be contacted on the non-emergency number 101 or you can submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via https://crowd.in/wtpUtu.
For further advice and information visit https://crowd.in/17AXGQ or the ScamwiseNI Facebook page @ScamwiseNI. ScamwiseNI have recently issued some helpful videos which show how these types of scams can take place and the terrible impacts for the victims.
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