CHARLOTTE — Scam callers are reportedly posing as bank fraud workers to target older adults in a ‘cereal box scam’ that’s costing victims their life savings.
Officials warn victims of the scam are taking out thousands of dollars and handing it over to scammers though a cereal box, Channel 9’s sister station Action News Jax reported. They say it’s a convincing scam that cost people in Clay County, Florida, nearly $70,000 in just two weeks.
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“They say that they need them to withdraw money, that they need to get fingerprints off of the money,” said Alyssa Huggins, a detective with the sheriff’s office’s financial crime section. “So then they convince them that they need to make the big withdrawals from the bank.”
It’s not clear why scammers want the money in a cereal box.
Regardless, investigators say you should hang up and report any scams that could be fraud. Officials also warn that similar scams might increase during the holidays.