Sioux Falls Woman Scammed out of $35 Grand

A Sioux Falls woman lost some serious cash as part of another phone scam to hit the Sioux Empire last week.

Sergeant Aaron Benson with the Sioux Falls Police Department told KSFY, a 46-year-old woman was tricked out of nearly $35,000 recently after receiving a phone call from someone posing to be with the Social Security Administration.

During the call, the scammer informed the victim she had a significant debt that needed to be paid and could be settled by purchasing gift cards. The scammer also instructed the woman not to alert authorities regarding the matter.

According to KSFY, the incident ended up costing the victim $9,500 in gift cards, and roughly $25,000 in cash that was sent to the scammer via FedEx.

In the past, the Sioux Falls police department has repeatedly reminded the public that organizations like the Social Security Administration would never reach out over the phone asking residents to settle outstanding debt. And most importantly, they will never request that debts be paid by purchasing gift cards.

Should you ever be approached by someone claiming to be a representative of the Social Security Administration, police encourage you to immediately contact the Social Security Administration to verify if the matter is legitimate.

Also, if you feel like you might be the victim of a potential scam, authorities ask that you please contact them right away to report the issue.

Source: KSFY TV