Beware of credit card scammers bearing gifts

This is the season of giving, but area residents are advised to be cautious when taking delivery of gifts.

Placer PROTECT, Placer County’s multi-agency elder-abuse task force, warns of a gift delivery credit card scam, recounting the recent experience of a resident of a Del Webb senior community.

The resident received a phone call from someone claiming to work for a delivery company. The caller asked if the resident was going to be home because he needed to deliver a package that required a signature. The caller said the package would be delivered within the hour, and the delivery man arrived with a basket of flowers and a bottle of wine, according to the Placer PROTECT Facebook post.

The delivery man then explained that because the gift contained alcohol, there was a $3.50 “delivery/verification charge,” providing proof that the package was delivered to an adult of legal drinking age, not just left on the doorstep.

The resident offered to pay in cash, but the delivery man said the company required a credit card for verification. He took the resident’s credit card and, using a small mobile card machine, asked the resident to enter his PIN number and provided a receipt. Within the next four days, more than $4,000 was withdrawn from the resident’s debit card account.

Placer PROTECT urges people not to provide credit card information to a delivery person, and to ask for and verity the sender’s information before accepting an unexpected package.

This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 6:11 PM with the headline "Beware of credit card scammers bearing gifts."