Crime & Safety

Police Warn Residents of Green Dot MoneyPak Scam

Plus, tips on what steps to take if you receive one of these calls.

Tewksbury police are warning residents about Green Dot MoneyPak scams are affecting residents in local communities, including Tewksbury. 

Scammers claiming to be National Grid representatives are calling customers and asking they purchase Green Dot MoneyPak card to pay outstanding balances or to pay for the replacement of faulty meters. Customers are then asked to reveal a 14-digit security serial number located on the card. Providing this number allows access to funds on the pre-paid credit card.

Police say National Grid does not ask customers to directly pay for faulty equipment and is not conducting a Green Dot MoneyPak program.

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MoneyPak cards allow consumers to add a dollar value to the card, which can be used for anything from adding money a to PayPal account to paying utility bills. Each MoneyPak card comes with a scratch-off 14-digit serial number which should never be given to anyone unless the consumer is 100 percent certain they know exactly who they are dealing with and the transaction is legitimate.

Police say customers who have been solicited should immediately notify local law enforcement officials to investigate. National Grid customers should call the company if they believe they have been contacted under fraudulent circumstances or if they believe they have been victims of the scam. Electric customers in New England and natural gas customers in Rhode Island should call 800-322-3223. Natural gas customers in Massachusetts should call 1-800-732-3400.

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The Internal Revenue Service also issued a strong warning for consumers to guard against sophisticated and aggressive phone scams targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, as reported incidents of this crime continue to rise nationwide.

People have reported a particularly aggressive phone scam in the last several months. Immigrants are frequently targeted. Potential victims are threatened with deportation, arrest, having their utilities shut off, or having their driver’s licenses revoked. Callers are frequently insulting or hostile - apparently to scare their potential victims.

Potential victims may be told they are entitled to big refunds, or that they owe money that must be paid immediately to the IRS. When unsuccessful the first time, sometimes phone scammers call back trying a new strategy.

The IRS will always send taxpayers a written notification of any tax due via the U.S. mail. The IRS never asks for credit card, debit card or prepaid card information over the telephone. For more information or to report a scam, go to www.irs.gov and type "scam" in the search box.

Other characteristics of this scam include:

  • Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
  • Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security number.
  • Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling.
  • Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
  • Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
  • After threatening victims with jail time or driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here’s what you should do:

  • If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue, if there really is such an issue.
  • If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you’ve never received a bill or the caller made some bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1.800.366.4484.
  • If you’ve been targeted by this scam, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint.

Taxpayers should be aware that there are other unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes) and solicitations (such as debt relief) that fraudulently claim to be from the IRS.

The IRS encourages taxpayers to be vigilant against phone and email scams that use the IRS as a lure. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. The IRS also does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail to phishing@irs.gov.

More information on how to report phishing scams involving the IRS is available on the genuine IRS website, IRS.gov.

Crime Prevention Tips To Help You Avoid Falling Victim To This Scam:

  • Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.
  • Remember that anyone who has the number on a Green Dot MoneyPak card has access to the funds on the card.
  • Never give out personal or financial information to anyone who emails or calls you unsolicited.
  • Never wire money, provide debit or credit card numbers or Green Dot MoneyPak card numbers to someone you do not know.
  • Utility companies and government agencies will not contact you demanding immediate payment by MoneyPak
The Tewksbury Police Department urges any citizens who suspect criminal activity to call the Dispatch Center at 978-851-7373. Residents wishing to remain anonymous can call the Tip Line at 978-851-0175 or send an email to tewks_detectives@tewksbury-ma.gov.     


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