Scammer Posing As Pastor, Asking For Gift Cards In Hudson Valley, Police Warn

Authorities in the region are warning residents to be aware of a scammer who has been posing as a pastor to convince victims to send them gift cards.

Police in the Hudson Valley are warning residents to look out for a phone scammer posing as a pastor.
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Ben Crnic

12/25/2023 1:00 p.m.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office is currently investigating several incidents of the scam, authorities announced.

According to the Sheriff's Office, the scheme consists of a scammer calling residents and pretending to be a pastor from an unidentified church in Carmel.

The scammer will then ask the victims to send them gift cards by taking pictures of the ID numbers with their cellphones, sheriff's deputies said.

Anyone who is contacted by the scammer is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (845) 225-4300.

"To be safe, never give out any personal or financial information to anyone unknown to you," the Sheriff's Office said.

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