According to Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver, his office has taken several reports in reference to gift card scams.

There are several ways that scammers might approach you to buy a gift card. Some will tell you that they are from large businesses such as Amazon or E-bay. Typically, they will make contact by email or phone. They tell you that there has been fraudulent activity on your account or even that money was sent to you by accident.

The con artists will insist that you buy gift cards from places such as Lowes, Target, CVS, and Walgreens. Once you have bought the card and given them the information on the back the money is instantly transferred all over the country to different members and is usually spent instantly.

This method is typically the hardest for Law Enforcement to track. Please be mindful that Amazon and other corporations like this will never insist that you buy a gift card. Usually, the scammers are very demanding and insist that you do not tell anyone of the encounter.

Anyone with questions or concerns about a call or email that you think is suspicious contact Inv. Kristina Daniel at the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office before you have any further contact with them.