Gift Card Scam
Complaint
Joyce Jones
Country: United States
I have a totally different take on these [***]! My Apple I-Phone 8 has not backed up in 17 weeks. I kept receiving text messages from App[le letting me know that. I have auto back-up, but apparently it isn't working. I called a number I have for Apple Tech Support and a Jane answered saying she was with Apple Tech Support. Since I initiated the call, I assumed it was a totally legitimate call. Anyway, I explained to Jane my problem, and she proceeded to tell me that my phone had been red flagged because of some suspicious attempts to make some large purchses (after many small purchases), i.e. one for $499;99 and two for $500.00 each. Jane told me the charges were currently blocked, but the thieves are working tirelessly to add more and more charges before security confirmation comes in so Apple can attach the lifetime security patch to all my devices. Supposedly the charges were being done from Airzona and Mexico. She also told me that I should always turn Wi-Fi off every time I leave my house so no one can get on my Wi-Fi and steal information off my phone. Jane said she could not handle this problem and would transfer me to the Apple Fraud Department. I was then connected to someone who said their name was Daniel Coleman. Daniel told me that I would have to purchase some Target Gift Cards for $500.00 each, except for the one charge of $499.99. For that one he said I should purchase the exact amount of $499.99. After I purchased these cards, I was to get back in my car, scratch off the code numbers on back, and stay in the parking lot until such time as he was able to connect to that store's server. Then I could leave. Because the charges kept coming in, Daniel said I would have to buy even more cards.
The bottom line is that after two days, and trips all over town to purchase the gift cards (only Target, E-Bay, and Amazon as a last resort), I have been swindled out of $8999.99 by someone who is fradulantly representing himself as an Apple Tech Support person. I have multiple calls on my cell phone (where he returned my calls) that say "Apple Tech Support Daniel." They also answered the phone number I called 1-845-684-4296 as Apple Tech Support Jane speaking. When I did a reverse lookup on the phone number I called, it said it belonged to Level-3 Communications, LLC in Woodstock, N.Y. Daniel (Coleman) also returned calls to me on my cell phone from 1-977-426-9922 and 1-877-310-0542. I also found out on Level-3's website that they are now affiliated with CenturyLink which is my landline carrier and has been for over 50 years (General Telephone which was later bought out by CenturyLink). Unfortunately, I have no idea where I got the 1-845-684-4296 number, but I had it written on a piece of paper by my computer that said Apple Tech Support with that number. That is why I was taken in by this very nice, smooth talking gentleman. I can't remember what he said (I was on the phone with him for two days, sitting in parking lots waiting for him (Apple to verify #'s on the back and connect to each store's server, or running from store to store to buy these gift cards), but he had me scared of the consequences if I didn't do what he said. I believed him. I ended up going to 3 HyVee's, Walgreens, Target twice, and Lowe's because I couldn't buy the number of cards at one time in any one store that he said I needed to buy.
While waiting for things to happen after different transactions, we chatted about life, his family, he told me he had a 3 year old and lived in a tpwn about 5 hours South of San Francisco (he told me the name, but I had never heard of it and I can't rememter. I told him I had new identical twin great grandsons, one of which was in the hospital for surgery due to Hirschsprung's Disease. This would never have happened to me had I not been the one to initiate the call with a number I had wrtten on a piece of paper by my computer. I thought things didn't seem right, but I trusted this jerk.
In addition, because of all the trouble I had to go through, and all the gas I used goining all over town to buy the dards Daniel said I had to buy, I was going to give me some $600.00 back in addition to the $999.99 I spent, plus a new I-Pad and a new I-phone. The I-Pad is supposed to be de3livered at 5:30 Monday, August 10th and the I-Phone on Wednesday. I'll bet I never see those two items either.
The bottom line is that after two days, and trips all over town to purchase the gift cards (only Target, E-Bay, and Amazon as a last resort), I have been swindled out of $8999.99 by someone who is fradulantly representing himself as an Apple Tech Support person. I have multiple calls on my cell phone (where he returned my calls) that say "Apple Tech Support Daniel." They also answered the phone number I called 1-845-684-4296 as Apple Tech Support Jane speaking. When I did a reverse lookup on the phone number I called, it said it belonged to Level-3 Communications, LLC in Woodstock, N.Y. Daniel (Coleman) also returned calls to me on my cell phone from 1-977-426-9922 and 1-877-310-0542. I also found out on Level-3's website that they are now affiliated with CenturyLink which is my landline carrier and has been for over 50 years (General Telephone which was later bought out by CenturyLink). Unfortunately, I have no idea where I got the 1-845-684-4296 number, but I had it written on a piece of paper by my computer that said Apple Tech Support with that number. That is why I was taken in by this very nice, smooth talking gentleman. I can't remember what he said (I was on the phone with him for two days, sitting in parking lots waiting for him (Apple to verify #'s on the back and connect to each store's server, or running from store to store to buy these gift cards), but he had me scared of the consequences if I didn't do what he said. I believed him. I ended up going to 3 HyVee's, Walgreens, Target twice, and Lowe's because I couldn't buy the number of cards at one time in any one store that he said I needed to buy.
While waiting for things to happen after different transactions, we chatted about life, his family, he told me he had a 3 year old and lived in a tpwn about 5 hours South of San Francisco (he told me the name, but I had never heard of it and I can't rememter. I told him I had new identical twin great grandsons, one of which was in the hospital for surgery due to Hirschsprung's Disease. This would never have happened to me had I not been the one to initiate the call with a number I had wrtten on a piece of paper by my computer. I thought things didn't seem right, but I trusted this jerk.
In addition, because of all the trouble I had to go through, and all the gas I used goining all over town to buy the dards Daniel said I had to buy, I was going to give me some $600.00 back in addition to the $999.99 I spent, plus a new I-Pad and a new I-phone. The I-Pad is supposed to be de3livered at 5:30 Monday, August 10th and the I-Phone on Wednesday. I'll bet I never see those two items either.
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