“Who’s the Boss?” Watch Out For New “Boss” Scam!

I, like almost everybody, would be hard pressed to NOT reply to a text from my boss.  Right?  Well the clever army of scammers also knows that so they have come up with a new one.  New York's Attorney General is now warning  of a scam which comes to you disguised as a text from your boss.  Be careful.  Here are the details.

New York Attorney General Letitia James today issued an alert to New Yorkers, warning them about the “Boss Scam,” a common text and email scam in which fraudsters pose as a consumer’s employer and request gift cards due to a purported work emergency. This scam may be on the rise during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic since many employees are working remotely.

“Due to COVID-19 safety measures, many employees are still working remotely which makes it easier to fall for this common scam,” said Attorney General James. “A legitimate employer will never ask you to purchase gift cards in order to pay clients or for other business purchases. I urge all New Yorkers to be on the alert for this type of fraud, and to protect themselves and their wallets by following our simple tips.”

The scam typically works as follows: An employee receives a text or an email from someone pretending to be their employer who claims there is an urgent matter. The text or email may ‘spoof’ an employer’s actual name, phone number, or email address, making it seem legitimate. The ‘employer’ then requests that the employee buy a certain number of Target or other store gift cards in specific denominations and promises to reimburse the employee quickly. As in the real example below, the ‘employer’ may ask the employee to scratch off the back of the card to reveal the PIN or claim code — thus making the gift card the equivalent of cash — and send photos of the card to the scammer. 

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