COLUMBUS – Police have issued a warning about a man who is posing as a government official in an effort to scam residents by convincing them to buy gift cards which the man planned to redeem for cash.
According to a release from the Columbus Division of Police Property Crimes Bureau, a victim reported receiving a phone call from a man posing as “Agent Jason Riley with the Social Security Administration,” who claimed the victim’s social security number had been implicated in a money laundering and cocaine-trafficking investigation.
The “agent” sent a text message with an attached photo showing a badge and ID, which were determined to be phony (above), when the victim asked for verification.
The agent informed the victim their bank accounts and social security number would be frozen and money confiscated in the next two hours and told the victim to withdraw their money and place it into “government approved” Target gift cards, which would be exchanged for cashier’s checks at a meeting at the Social Security office the next day.
The “agent” requested the card numbers to register the numbers with their report, but police say the victim got suspicious and told the agent they would turn the cards over in person at their meeting.
When the phony agent got frustrated and insisted the victim give him the card numbers, the victim requested a call back number to confirm the agent’s identity. The agent then told the victim he would have the local police department call the victim back.
The victim received a phone call that appeared to come from the Ohio State University Police Department, but a dispatcher with OSU police told the victim they were being scammed, to not follow the agent’s instructions and to file a report with Columbus police.