ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orlando woman lost $2,200 in an elaborate PayPal imposter scheme that started with an email alert and ended with the purchase of hundreds of dollars in gift cards, which were eventually traced to purchases in New York, Texas, and California.
Myrza Rodriguez-Fearnley said the email message included the official PayPal logo with a report of an unauthorized purchase of Bitcoin currency.
They had her name, the last four digits of her social security number, as well as her PayPal account — all enough to persuade her it was legitimate.
When she called to see how she could protect her account, the “nightmare” unfolded.
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She told News 6 that the imposter, a man “with an Indian accent,” claimed the currency was used to purchase child pornography and that she needed to purchase gift cards from Target and Walmart to clear her name.
“My gut was telling me, ‘There’s something wrong here. This sounds like a scam,’” she recalled, “but these people are telling me we need to prove that it’s you.”
Rodriguez-Fearnley said the imposters claimed $892 was used to purchase child pornography from a site based in Ohio and that she could face legal repercussions.
She told News 6 that the conmen never provided receipts or visual evidence — just the high-powered scare tactics.
She said they kept her on her cellphone the entire time, telling her to take photos of the gift cards and the purchase codes on the back.
As she was standing in the Walmart parking lot with a fistful of gift cards, the man on the phone told her she would have to wire funds to a Bank of America account. She said that did not make sense.
“That’s when I wake up and (thought), ‘Oh my gosh, this is a scam. These people are stealing my money!’” she said. “I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
According to the Federal Trade Commission, no company will ask you to purchase gift cards or bitcoin.
If you purchased gift cards and gave someone the numbers off the back of the card, according to the FTC, “that’s a scam.”
The FTC advises victims to use the gift card and gift card store receipt for these next steps:
- Report the gift card scam to the gift card company right away. No matter how long ago the scam happened, report it. Use the How To Contact Gift Card Companies list below.
- Ask for your money back. Some companies are helping stop gift card scams and might give your money back. It’s worth asking.
- Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Every report makes a difference.
If you have an investment or consumer issue, email makeendsmeet@wkmg.com or text the words “Make Ends Meet” to 407-676-7428. Don’t forget to include the issue and your contact information.
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