PALATKA, Fla. – The Palatka Police Department alerted residents on Monday to a scam making the rounds in the area.
The scammers call their victims acting as couriers who have a package to deliver. A uniformed courier soon arrives at the victim's residence with a box said to contain flowers and a bottle of alcohol.
Recommended Videos
The "courier" produces a mobile card reader and informs the victim they need to pay a $3.50 fee as proof of receiving the package and alcohol. The payment can only be made by credit card to ensure the victim is old enough to receive the alcohol, the courier claims.
After the victims scan their cards and enter the pin number into the courier's mobile credit card machine, the package is released and the courier leaves.
A few days after receiving the package the victims notice suspicious charges on their account. The mobile card reader actually stores the information for the scammers to retrieve and use to make online purchases using the victim's card.