ROCK SPRINGS – Sweetwater County Sheriff Rich Haskell issued an advisory today concerning a new scam circulating by telephone throughout the county.
“It’s called the Green Dot Card Scam,” Haskell said. “People receive a call from someone who identifies himself as a police officer. The person, who sounds very official and even provides a bogus court docket number, tells the intended victim a warrant has been issued for his or her arrest and the fine needs to be paid quickly to avoid going to jail. He instructs the individual to purchase a Green Dot card, which is a legitimate, reloadable debit card, from Wal-Mart or other store, and use it to pay the fine and have the warrant cancelled. The caller provides a specific amount to be placed on the card.”
The caller also provides a phone number for the victim to call back once the card has been purchased. The victim calls back, provides the Green Dot card number, and their money disappears.
“Like wired funds, the Green Dot debit card funds are virtually untraceable,” Haskell explained. “That’s why this scam is so popular with criminals.”
Officials emphasized that no police officer is going to call someone with an active warrant and tell them to put the necessary funds on a Green Dot card to pay off a fine. “If you think a warrant may have been issued for you, contact the appropriate court yourself,” Haskell recommended.
Another variation of this scam involves the caller telling victims that their utilities are about to be shut off due to an unpaid bill, which can be forestalled if they use a Green Dot card to square up their overdue account.
Haskell recommended the same follow-up procedure in such instances – call the utilities company or office yourself to confirm the situation.
