A new scam alert has been issued by the Attorney General’s Office that attempts to trick employees into purchasing gift cards for who they think is their employer.
The scam is called Boss Scam and happens when the scammer reaches out to the employee claiming there’s an urgent matter requiring the purchase of gift cards to give to a client. They use a text or email to convince the employer that it’s the employer. The scammer assures the employees that they will reimburse them later.
The scams have picked up speed with many employees working from home during the pandemic.
The Attorney General’s Office reminds people to pause, because the sense of urgency is intentionally created by the scammers, and to reach out directly to the employer instead of answering the message no matter how legitimate it seems.