Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is back to highlighting important consumer protection information with her latest video.
The video, which is now available on the Department of Attorney General’s YouTube page, depicts a scam call that impersonates the attorney general and describes a dire situation that can only be remedied by buying a gift card and providing its information to the caller – who was not, in fact, AG Nessel.
“Scam artists will call, text or email people trying to get them to buy a gift card and then ask for the gift card number over the phone,” Nessel said. “Remember, gift cards are for gifting, not for paying people. If someone asks for payment using a gift card from Amazon, Target or some other store, it’s a scam. Hang up or delete the message.”
Nessel has a few consumer alerts to help people protect themselves from such scams. The first is her Don’t Fall Victim to Gift Card Scams Consumer Alert. Once money is loaded onto a gift card and the numbers are provided to the requestor, these transactions cannot be reversed, making them a favorable avenue for bad actors who don’t want their scams traced.
Last Thursday, Nessel announced court action related to scammers pretending to offer AT&T DirecTV services. In that scam, the recipient is told an upfront cost needs to be paid by a pre-paid card in order to start the service.
In April, Nessel issued her Grandparent-Family Emergency Scam Consumer Alert. The scam often has ingredients that are similar to gift card scams. At that time, two mid-Michigan mothers each received calls from purported kidnappers demanding a ransom for their daughters’ return. In each instance, the caller knew the daughter’s name and demanded payment by wire. Both were scams.
Consumer complaints can be filed online at the attorney general’s website at www.michigan.gov/ag or anyone with questions can call 877-765-8388.
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