***Green Dot MoneyPak Scam Targets Foreign Students***
***Green Dot MoneyPak Scam Targets Foreign Students***
Recently a BU foreign student received a phone call from a person claiming to be from the IRS who threatened the student would be arrested and deported if more than $1200 was not paid immediately by providing the caller the account number from a Green Dot MoneyPak card.
A hour later the student received another call, this time from a person claiming to be an immigration officer, who demanded nearly $700 paid immediately by Green Dot MoneyPak to clear up arrest warrants for the student.
The student complied with these demands and now has lost nearly two thousand dollars to this scam.
Green Dot MoneyPak cards are essentially pre-paid debit cards purchased at retailers that can be used to put money into a PayPal account or pre-paid credit card account or can be used to make payments to certain retailers who accept Green Dot MoneyPak cards. Once you provide a person with the 12-digit account number from the card, that person can immediately apply all funds on the card to their own pre-paid credit cards and your money is lost.
These cards present an attractive method for scammers to siphon money from unsuspecting victims because it allows them to direct instant cash payments from the victim over the telephone. The are many variations to this fraudulent scheme including callers claiming to be from utility companies or callers claiming that a relative of the victim is in distress and needs immediate help.
You should be aware that the telephone numbers used by the scammers are frequently “spoofed” meaning that the telephone call is made from the internet via voice over internet protocol (VoIP) where the caller can create the number that shows up on your caller ID.
You should never provide Green Dot card number to a stranger. If you are being extorted based on the money needed for a relative or other person you know, try to stall the caller an contact the police for help.
Government officials and utility company officials will never contact you by telephone and demand a payment made by Green Dot MoneyPak card. Any unsolicited telephone calls you receive where payment is demanded using Green Dot cards or by wire transfer are highly suspect and you should contact the police for advice.