Before you buy that gift card, read this first: LaSalle police say avoid these scams
In an effort to curb gift card scams, LaSalle police have out up signs at local businesses, asking people to think before they buy.
Police say it can happen over the phone, by email, or text — when someone who says they know you needs help, or pose as an official agency, asking that you make payments to them in the form of gift cards.
In any case, police say anyone asking for payment in form of a gift card is a scammer.
"We had 15 [scams] in 2022 — we had 15 of those scams, three of which were for bitcoin, which is a similar type of premise," explained Const. Terry Seguin, community liaison officer for LaSalle police.
"But 13 were people that actually went to the store, got the gift card and were out of money as a result."
Seguin says there is lots of information on the LaSalle police website about avoiding these types of scams and others, but that police wanted to "go back to basics" and put up physical signs in stores in the community.
Generally, older adults are falling victim to these scams, said Seguin. But anyone can be a target.
How to spot a scam
Police say only scammers will try to get you to pay with a gift card — no other agency or official will do this.
They also offered a list of common scams happening right now:
What to do if you already bought the gift card
Police say if you have already paid a scammer with a gift card, contact the company that issued it immediately.
Additionally, you should report the fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or call 1-888-495-8501.
Even if you didn't pay, you can still report the fraud, say police.
You should also report it to your local police.
