A Great Bend woman is out $125 after agreeing to pay for satellite television service using a prepaid money card.
Detective David Bailey at the Great Bend Police Department said a con artist claiming to work for “Dish TV” called the victim and said he had been referred by her mother. The caller knew the woman’s mother’s name, which made his pitch more convincing, Bailey said.
He offered to install television satellite service for $210, but the woman declined. He then offered the service for $125, promising a $55 rebate after a certain number of days.
She offered her credit card number, but the man said he wanted the money loaded on a Green Dot MoneyPak, a money card service available at some retail stores. After she placed the money on a card, the victim called the man back at a telephone number in the 818 area code, which is in California, and gave him the number of the card. He said someone would be there by 5:30 p.m. to install the dish.
“They never showed up,” Bailey said. By the time the victim checked with Green Dot, the money had been pulled off of her card and transferred to another prepaid reloadable financial card.
Dish Network TV was contacted and had no knowledge of the transaction, Bailey said. And the telephone number is no longer working.
Green Dot cards can be used to reload a prepaid card or PayPal account, but may also be used to make same-day payments, “for satellite TV, cell phones, credit cards and more,” according to the company website.
Green Dot Corporation issues this written warning on the Green Dot MoneyPak website:
“How to Stop A Scam:
“Use your MoneyPak number only with businesses on our approved list. If anyone else asks for your MoneyPak number, it’s probably a scam. Don’t give your MoneyPak number to pay for something you buy through the classifieds or to collect a prize or sweepstakes. If you give your MoneyPak number to a criminal, Green Dot is not responsible to pay you back. Your MoneyPak is not a bank account. The funds are not insured against loss."