The Amarillo Police Department is reporting that a new scam is targeting the Amarillo area.
According to APD, the Crime Prevention Unit has been made aware of a scam involving local businesses in Amarillo. A person claiming to be with the U.S. Marshals is calling victims and stating that their business is being investigated for counterfeiting and that they are under federal indictment. The suspect tells the victim that they are one of a few people at the business who are not not be investigated but that they will be arrested if they tell anyone about the call. The suspect then instructs the victim to collect cash from the business and to put it on gift cards, then to mail the gift cards to an out-of-state address.
APD says that the scammers can be "very good at their job" and "convincing." If you receive a call in which a person asks you to pay for something with a gift card, you should be suspicious. If you sustain monetary loss, please call 806-378-3038.
For more information, please visit police.amarillo.gov.
