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The 82-year-old victim got an email that she believed was from Apple Inc., in reference to a charge on her account from a game she purchased Sept. 2, local police said.
The victim never purchased a game, so she called the company and spoke to a woman regarding the alleged charge.
The woman instructed the victim to go to a nearby store and purchase Apple gift cards, while remaining on the phone.
And so, the victim left for the store. When she got there, there weren't any Apple gift cards -- only Google, she said.
The scammer -- still on the phone -- told her Google gift cards would be just fine.
The woman proceeded to purchase 11 Google gift cards totaling $2,200, then gave the woman on the other the information on her card, police said.
The woman told the victim something went wrong, because the cards never processed, and instructed her to buy an additional $2,000 worth of gift cards to redo the transaction, police said.
As the victim went to purchase more cards, her debit card was declined and no further cards were purchased, according to police.
"Remember: Gift cards are for gifts, not for payments," Hackettstown police said.
"If someone calls with urgent news or a convincing story and then pressures you to pay them by buying a gift card, like an iTunes or Google Play card, and then giving them the codes on the back of the card – stop. It’s a scam."
Scams can be reported by filing a complaint at ftc.gov/complaint. Be sure to include:
- Date and time of the call
- Name of the agency the imposter used
- What they tell you, including the amount of money and the payment method they ask for
- Phone number of the caller; although scammers may use technology to create a fake number or spoof a real one, law enforcement agents may be able to track that number to identify the caller
- Any other details from the call
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