Savvy gift card scammers take aim at Capital Region residents

A gift card hoax is hitting the Capital Region.

Now scammers are targeting people with low credit scores, according to State Police.

The Green Dot card scam involves buying pre-paid Visa gift cards. They can be found at pretty much any big-name store.

Scammers get people with poor credit to buy these cards with cash. They then use them for online purchases.

The scammer typically calls the person and gets to know them first before telling them they won unclaimed prize money.

In one case, a woman was convinced she had won $200,000.

She bought the Green Dot cards and then called the scammers and read off the pins on each card. The scammers took her money.

Companies will never ask you to pay them in gift cards, State Police said.

Learn about how scammers are getting smarter, and how to protect yourself, by watching the video of Tessa Bentulan’s story.