The Blount County Sheriff’s Office is warning citizens about a new scam in which people are impersonating Drug Enforcement Administration agents and threatening widespread consequences unless they send gift card codes.
According to BCSO, a 64-year-old woman reported that she was conned out of $7,000 by a man who claimed to be a DEA agent named Mike Allen, calling from the number 240-288-5221.
The woman said the would-be agent told her a large amount of drugs had been found in a car she rented that was discovered in El Paso, Texas. He claimed the finding would affect her Social Security and said she would need to purchase a number of gift cards and send him the card’s numbers to avoid criminal charges, according to the woman.
BCSO is reminding citizens that law enforcement officers will not ask for money over the phone and that it is a federal offense to impersonate a federal agent.
Citizens are advised not to give up any personal information when they receive calls like this and to hang up immediately. Scams involving the DEA can be reported on the agency’s website.
Filed under: General Problems
I’m sorry, but every time I read about someone being scammed out of thousands of dollars b/c some bogus IRS or whatever agent called & told them to buy gift cards, fa God’s sake, it makes me think that “one person, one vote” is an insanely moronic idea. How can anyone believe the DEA is going to make them buy gift cards?!?!