HINGHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - Hingham police are warning the public after they say a 67-year-old woman was scammed out of more than $9,000 over two days by a man who called claiming to be a member of the Social Security Administration.
The woman told police she received a call June 18 from a man who said he was investigating her for money laundering and drug distribution and demanded she buy $6,500 worth of gift cards or she’d be arrested, according to Hingham police.
The man allegedly continued to call her cellphone, demanding that she buy gift cards at four different stores and give him the card numbers and codes. The next day, she withdrew all the money in her account except for $50 and bought another $2,677 worth of gift cards, police said.
It wasn’t until a bank manager became suspicious and called the police that she realized she was being scammed.
In the wake of the incident, Hingham police are reminding residents that the Social Security Administration will never ask for your social security number, no government agency will ever threaten to arrest you on the phone, and no government agency will accept or demand payment in the form of gift cards.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)