The Oceanside Chamber of Commerce
The Oceanside Chamber's

Member News

Oceanside Chamber of Commerce
  • Oceanside
    • About Oceanside >
      • History of Oceanside
      • Demographics
      • Arts and Culture
      • Education
      • Employment
      • Health Care
      • Religious Organizations
      • Local Government and Services
      • Retiring in Oceanside
      • Oceanside Maps
    • Visitor Information >
      • Beaches
      • Accommodations
      • Groups and Meeting
    • Things to Do >
      • Oceanside Events >
        • Downtown History Walks
        • Farmers Market
        • Sunset Market
      • Shopping >
        • Coupons
      • Dining
      • Surfing
      • Regional Attractions
    • Volunteer Opportunities
  • Business Directory
    • All Categories
    • Coupons
    • New Members
  • Media
    • Advancing Oceanside Podcast
    • Blog
    • Member News
    • E-Newsletter
    • Publications >
      • Advertising Your Business
      • Best of Oceanside Magazine
      • Annual Community Guide
      • Military Publications
  • Chamber
    • Membership >
      • Member Portal
      • Membership Packages
      • Application
      • Testimonials
    • Advocacy >
      • Chamber Political Action Committee
      • Public Policy Guidelines
      • The Advancing Oceanside Report
    • Our Work >
      • 2021 Annual Report
      • 2023 Strategic Priorities
      • Committees - Task Forces - Forums
      • Oceanside Young Professionals
    • Economic Recovery >
      • 2021 Small Business Grant Program
      • 2020 Shop Local Oceanside
      • 2020 North County Cares Program
    • Workforce Development >
      • SOCAL Workforce
    • Kindness
    • Oceanside Leadership Academy
    • Our Team >
      • Board of Directors
      • Chamber Staff
    • Privacy Policy
  • Events
    • Signature Chamber Events >
      • Armed Forces Day Operation Appreciation
      • Heroes of Oceanside and Camp Pendleton
      • Meet the City of Oceanside
      • North County Health Fair
      • Oceanside Senior Expo
      • Rising Star Student Program
    • Monthly Chamber Events
    • Oceanside Community Events
  • Resources
    • Community Resources
    • Local Business Resources
    • Military Resources

Gift Cards are for Giving not Paying Bills

2/23/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
By District Attorney Summer Stephan

​As your District Attorney, I’m committed to increasing communication and accessibility between the DA’s Office and you, the community. One way I have been doing that is through this monthly column, where I provide consumer tips on public safety matters.

There’s no end to the ideas scammers come up with to cheat you out of money. While everyone can be a victim of a scam, seniors are particularly targeted and can be more trusting and vulnerable. A common practice is to prey on emotions and to create a sense of urgency. For example, the caller will say a grandchild is in trouble in another country and needs to be bailed out or will pretend to be from the IRS saying you owe back taxes. All you have to do is purchase gift cards and then provide the numbers on the back of the card. The gift cards can be from anywhere: iTunes, Amazon or any large retailer such as Walmart, Home Depot, or Target.
These hustlers often send elderly victims to the bank first to get cash and instruct victims to tell bank tellers that they need the money for a home remodel or to give their grandchildren as a graduation present. Once the victim has the cash, they are then directed to go buy the gift cards.

If you are asked to pay a debt via gift card, this is a scam. Here are tips to help you avoid getting bilked:
  • If anyone calls asking for payment and claims to be from a bank or government agency, hang up and call back at the entity’s official number. Verify that the call was meant for you and that the official agency was in fact trying to contact you. If the person or organization isn’t immediately available when you call them, just wait until they are.
  • No government agency or business will require payments through a gift card. If you are asked to pay using a gift card, this is a scam.
  • Never make a payment by phone if you cannot confirm that the payment request is official and legitimate.
  • Some scammers pretend you have won a prize or sweepstakes but that you’ll need to pay the taxes via a gift card. This is a scam.
If you think that you were tricked though a gift card scheme, here are some steps you can take to report the scam and try to get your money back.
  • Call the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP to report the scam to which you may have fallen victim.
  • Call the Treasury Inspector General to report a phone scam at: 800-366-4484. · If you receive a call claiming to be from the IRS, you can report it by email at phishing@irs.gov.
  • If you know the company that issued the gift card, you can often report the scam directly to the retailer. They may be able to refund your money.
Although gift cards are easy and convenient gifts, they are nearly untraceable and are often used to launder money. You should never use a gift card to pay off any type of debt and should be suspicious of anyone asking you to do so. Remember, no legitimate entity will ask for a payment in the form of a gift card.

Gift cards are for giving gifts, not paying debts or transferring money.

​District Attorney Summer Stephan has dedicated more than 29 years to serving justice and victims of crime as prosecutor. She is a national leader in fighting sex crimes and human trafficking and in creating smart and fair criminal justice solutions and restorative justice practices that treat the underlying causes of addiction and mental illness and that keep young people from being incarcerated.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    SEARCH NEWS ARCHIVES
    CALCHAMBER NEWS
    ​
    CalChamber Alerts
    CalChamber Advocacy
    CalChamber HR
    Chamber Blog

    news Categories

    All
    Arts & Culture
    BGOC
    Business Advocacy
    Business Workshops
    Careers
    Charitable Events
    Christmas
    City Of Oceanside News
    Coastal Communities
    Community News
    Consumer Column
    COVID 19
    Cox Communications
    CSUSM
    Education
    Events
    Finance
    Frontwave
    Halloween
    Health & Wellness
    Housing
    Kaiser Permanente
    Kids Event
    Local Events
    Local News
    Medical
    Member News
    Military
    MiraCosta Community College
    Networking
    Non Profit
    North County News
    Oceanside Business
    Oceanside Events
    Oceanside News
    Oceanside Public Library
    Political Scene
    Promotions
    Restaurants
    Retail
    Safety
    San Diego County Event
    San Diego County News
    Scripps News
    SDG&E
    Senior Citizens
    Small Business News
    Tax News
    Things To Do
    Transportation
    Tri City News
    Valentine's Day
    Veterans
    Workforce Development

    ​RECENT NEWS

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018

    RSS Feed

Copyright © 2022 Oceanside Chamber of Commerce
928 N. Coast Highway | Oceanside, CA 92054
Tel 760-722-1534 
info@oceansidechamber.com
Privacy Policy
Map/Directions
Picture
  • Oceanside
    • About Oceanside >
      • History of Oceanside
      • Demographics
      • Arts and Culture
      • Education
      • Employment
      • Health Care
      • Religious Organizations
      • Local Government and Services
      • Retiring in Oceanside
      • Oceanside Maps
    • Visitor Information >
      • Beaches
      • Accommodations
      • Groups and Meeting
    • Things to Do >
      • Oceanside Events >
        • Downtown History Walks
        • Farmers Market
        • Sunset Market
      • Shopping >
        • Coupons
      • Dining
      • Surfing
      • Regional Attractions
    • Volunteer Opportunities
  • Business Directory
    • All Categories
    • Coupons
    • New Members
  • Media
    • Advancing Oceanside Podcast
    • Blog
    • Member News
    • E-Newsletter
    • Publications >
      • Advertising Your Business
      • Best of Oceanside Magazine
      • Annual Community Guide
      • Military Publications
  • Chamber
    • Membership >
      • Member Portal
      • Membership Packages
      • Application
      • Testimonials
    • Advocacy >
      • Chamber Political Action Committee
      • Public Policy Guidelines
      • The Advancing Oceanside Report
    • Our Work >
      • 2021 Annual Report
      • 2023 Strategic Priorities
      • Committees - Task Forces - Forums
      • Oceanside Young Professionals
    • Economic Recovery >
      • 2021 Small Business Grant Program
      • 2020 Shop Local Oceanside
      • 2020 North County Cares Program
    • Workforce Development >
      • SOCAL Workforce
    • Kindness
    • Oceanside Leadership Academy
    • Our Team >
      • Board of Directors
      • Chamber Staff
    • Privacy Policy
  • Events
    • Signature Chamber Events >
      • Armed Forces Day Operation Appreciation
      • Heroes of Oceanside and Camp Pendleton
      • Meet the City of Oceanside
      • North County Health Fair
      • Oceanside Senior Expo
      • Rising Star Student Program
    • Monthly Chamber Events
    • Oceanside Community Events
  • Resources
    • Community Resources
    • Local Business Resources
    • Military Resources