Community Corner
Beware of Strangers Bearing Gifts
Consumer Advisory
From the Office of Rice County Attorney
G Paul Beaumaster
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Beware of strangers bearing gifts!
Find out what's happening in Northfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Watch out for this credit card scam:
You receive a phone call from someone wanting to deliver a package. Shortly after the call, a uniformed delivery man arrives at your home with a basket of flowers and wine. If you inquire about who sent you the gift, the delivery man will respond that he is only delivering the package and that a card has been sent separately.
The delivery man will explain that because the gift contains alcohol, there is a "delivery charge" as proof of delivery to an adult, so the sender knows it was not just left it on the doorstep where it could be stolen.
He will not accept cash because the company requires the payment to be by credit or debit card only.
He will ask you to swipe the card on the small mobile card machine and ask you to enter the card's PIN and security number. By doing this you have provided all the information necessary to use your card. If you provided a debit card it will be used at ATM machines to access your funds – and a bank will not reimburse these charges.
WARNING: Be wary of accepting any "surprise gift or package" that you neither expected nor personally ordered, especially if a payment is a condition of receiving the gift or package. Also, never accept anything if the sender is not personally known by you or if there is no proper identification of who the sender is.
Above all, the only time you should give out any personal credit/debit card information is when you yourself initiated the purchase or transaction!
Need help or have a question?
Rice County Attorney’s Office 507-332-5934
December 2013