GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Green Bay Police say they have received reports of the elderly falling victim to scams.
In many of the cases, elderly victims are convinced that their computer has a virus, and they need to buy thousands of dollars of gift cards to get rid of it.
Police Captain Kevin Warych is asking those who work in businesses that sell the cards to take a proactive approach.
“We are trying to educate the retailers that they train their staff to have these conversations with elderly people when they buy these large amounts of gift cards.
He says that is simply asking them why they are buying so many cards and adds that like many scams, more often than not, once the money is spent, it is gone. “
Unfortunately, these are very difficult crimes to investigate based on them all being done online and often times, probably not even in this country.
Warych says it is important for families to have these conversations with their older loved ones and for the community to help each other when they are shopping this holiday season.
“If they are educated, hopefully, it will stop this from reoccurring.”
