Scam Victim Pays “Attorney” $1,500 in iTunes Gift Cards

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Summary: A Michigan citizen recently fell victim to an odd phone scam.

If an attorney calls and demands to be paid in iTunes gift cards, just hang up. It might be a scam!

  

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Okay it is a scam. No self-respecting attorney would accept songs for service.

Too bad no one told John Doe of Michigan. The Morning Call reports that a victim received a phone call from someone claiming they were an attorney representing a relative who had been arrested and locked up in prison. The “attorney” then said he needed to be paid $1,500 in iTunes gift cards for his services.

And this is when it gets crazy. The victim actually went out and bought the cards!

After giving the “attorney” the card ID numbers over the phone, the victim discovered later that his (or hers, identity details were not released) relative was actually not in jail. Realizing he fell for one of the most absurd scams of all time, he called the police.

In a press release, the local police warned residents that these phone scams have become prevalent and to not give out personal information over the phone.

While it may be seem absurd that someone would believe an attorney would accept an iTunes gift card as payment, these types of phone scams are actually quite common. The Morning Call reports that senior citizens tend to be scammers’ favorite targets. A recent study found that 17 percent of seniors have been taken advantage of in money schemes ranging from inappropriate investments, high fees for financial services, or outright fraud. The Consumer Financial Bureau says older targets are attractive because they tend to have assets and a regular source of income like a pension.

Source: The Morning Call