Fraud Alerts/PSAs

June 12, 2015: Prosecutor Warns About Father's Day Scam

En Español 

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is reminding consumers looking for a special Father’s Day gift to be wary of deeply discounted deals offered via email.

The week before Father’s Day, identity thieves flood inboxes with promotions touting the “Perfect Gift for Father’s Day” that hawk liquor, cigars and other popular items for dad. The recipient then provides identifying information and a credit card number to buy the gift. The fraudsters use the stolen information for their own spending spree and the gift is never sent to the consumer.

TIPS:

  • Don’t be lured by bogus coupon codes that promise huge discounts.
  • Don’t click on the URL contained in the spam message that will redirect consumers to a website with the fake offer.
  • If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Prosecutor Marc Beaart warns about the scam in this video: http://vimeo.com/130580058.

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