With the number of scams increasing, state police are reminding people about one scam that is making the rounds.
Police say that an 86-year-old man from Commodore was called on his cell phone and the scammer identified himself as a member of Microsoft Tech Support. The suspect instructed the man to buy $500 in gift cards at a local store while the suspect remained on the phone. The scammer then told the victim that if the cashier questioned the purchase to lie and say it was a gift for a family member. The victim then provided the gift card information to the scammer.
State Police said that people should discuss this and other common scams with family and friends to verify the legitimacy of suspicious calls, emails, text messages, and messages on social media. When in doubt, hang up or ignore the message and contact a family member or local police.
Tips for reporting and protecting yourself from scams can be found at the Federal Trade Commission Website at www.ftc.gov.
