Elderly couple defrauded $22K in gift card scam: Niagara police

Niagara police are investigating after an elderly couple was defrauded of $22,000 in gift cards.

The fraud unit said the suspects connected with the victims on May 12 through a pop-up on their computer. The scammers then phoned the couple and tricked them into believing they were from their bank.

Officers said the victims were then directed to make payments using gift cards. The scammers told the couple to buy $17,000 worth of gift cards at two different stores in Burlington.

On May 13, the elderly couple was told to purchase another $5,000 worth of gift cards at a drugstore in Niagara Falls.

Police said all of the gift card numbers were provided to the scammers.

There is limited information available about the suspects except that they were male and one of them sounded to be in his 50s with an accent.

People can provide information anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or at 1-800-222-8477.