JACKSON, Mich — Ever gotten an offer that asked you to pay in gift cards?
Police say that's one M.O. of scammers operating in our neighborhood, and I'm hearing from neighbors that scammers are impersonating cable and internet providers to get you to give them your money.
WATCH THE VIDEO TO HEAR ONE NEIGHBOR'S STORY OF A DISCOUNT SCAM HE WAS TAKEN IN BY:
With the price of everything these days, who doesn't want to save a buck? And that's what scammers are taking advantage of.
"It's a huge, huge industry — it's horrible," says Jay Niles, Chief of Columbia Charter Township Police. "And, I mean, I can't imagine how much money they're making every year out of these things."
"They really caught me off guard," says Brooklyn neighbor Thomas Wright. Wright says he's used to getting discount offers. He recently got an official-looking text message offering 50% off his cable bill. "Lots of cable companies have discount programs now….I didn't think anything of it," says Wright.
When he called the number, everything seemed legit.
"They sent me an email with an invoice, and it all looked official. Xfinity logo — everything," he says.
He says they told him: get half off your annual cable bill if you pay the other half up front — using gift cards from a store.
"Gift card is the M.O," says Niles. "And it's easy to do. It all can be done electronically. The perpetrator sits behind the mystery of a keyboard, and we'll never see their face, never know who they are, and they're getting all the profits from it."
"My warning sign should have been: the guy said 'keep your phone on when you're in the store and don't mention that you're doing this for this promotion'," says Wright, looking back.
Wright says he gave his gift card numbers to the man on the phone…and then it hit him. A call to Comcast/Xfinity confirmed what he feared: "They said it was a scam."
I asked Chief Niles whether he's seeing a lot of these types of scams?
"Yes, we're seeing a ton of these scams," he says.
Niles took Wright's report. He says his Department does take scams seriously and will investigate and suspects will be prosecuted, if possible.
Wright says he's working with his bank to block the charge. But, for now, he's out $600…and wants others to be warned.
I reached out to Comcast/Xfinity and got a written statement that reads, in part:
"If customers suspect a potential scam or anything suspicious, they should contact Comcast immediately to verify the legitimacy of the call. A customer should be suspicious of anyone that requests personal information, such as solicitations for usernames, passwords, account numbers or any other personal data."
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