Scammers have really put in the work since the pandemic began, utilizing the separation and time people spend at home to target the most vulnerable.
Dan Lyon, the Fraud and Scams Program Manager at Lifespan, told 13 WHAM that the targeting is usually lonely individuals who may be windowed or recently lost a loved one.
He added that he has seen victims that have lost thousands in the last few months.
He said the process begins on Facebook then the scammer grooms the victim by building trust.
They usually have the victims location and nearby stores figured out and then convince them to spend thousands of dollars on gift cards.
The financial losses have tripled between 2017 and 2020.
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