ZEELAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – A Zeeland student is out $800 after being targeted by an iPhone scam.
Lindsey Kallemeyn, the 18-year-old Davenport student’s mother, told Wood TV 8 that the scammer had caused her son’s phone internet browser to freeze and then sent a pop-up telling him to call an 800 number. The son called the number and a man picked up claiming to be Apple support. The man said the only way to get his service back would be to buy $800 worth of iTunes gift cards. He promised to give the money back after receiving the gift card numbers.
Once Kallemeyn’s son bought the gift cards, he called the number back and got the same man on the line. After giving him the gift card numbers, the man asked for an additional $1,000. That’s when the recent Zeeland graduate knew something was up. At that point, the son called his mother despite threats from the scammer about hanging up the call. Kallemeyn immediately contacted their bank and the Ottawa County Sheriff Department, but the money was already gone.
Kallemeyn hopes that her son’s tale will be a cautionary one to others. If you think you have been a victim of a scam, do not give out any personal information or bank/gift card numbers and contact the police. You can also lodge a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission here.
