ADVISORY: CPD Warns Residents about Potential Green Dot Card Scam

On February 6, an elderly Cambridge resident reported receiving several telephone calls from an unknown male who told him to go to Radio Shack and buy a “14 digit Green Dot card” for $600.

The unknown male had a foreign accent and told the resident that he had won a car and that it would be delivered to him after someone picked up the Green Dot card.

Cambridge Police have not received any similar reports, but similar scams have been seen in Boston and Hingham.

The Cambridge Consumers’ Council is also sharing the following alert:

“Cambridge Consumers’ Council, a City of Cambridge agency, is warning consumers about a new twist on lottery and advance fee wire fraud scams – using reloadable prepaid cards, such as the “Green Dot MoneyPak” cards, as a method to transfer funds. Prepaid cards are used like normal debit or credit cards, but funds are prepaid onto the card, reloadable, and not linked to a bank account.”

The full consumer alert can be found on the Cambridge Consumers’ Council website.

If residents experience this type of activity they are encouraged to report it to the Cambridge Police Department immediately by calling 617-349-3300.