Police: Mt. Pleasant woman lost $1,300 in gift card scam

A Westmoreland County woman was scammed out of $1,300 after she gave prepaid gift card numbers to an unknown person, state police in Greensburg said.

Troopers said the suspect in April contacted the Mt. Pleasant woman by phone and identified themselves as a representative from Microsoft.

The scammer said Microsoft owed the woman a “refund” because of a company error, and if she wanted to retrieve it, she would need to go to Walmart, buy Walmart gift cards and give the suspect the corresponding gift card numbers.

The woman told police she purchased two Walmart gift cards worth $1,300. She gave the suspect the corresponding gift card numbers, and the suspect withdrew the money remotely.

She realized she had been scammed after roughly two weeks passed and she didn’t receive any money, troopers said.

Anyone who might know the person responsible for the incident is asked to contact state police at 724-832-3288.