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Sheriff’s office debunks ‘scam’ of gift card-filled letters from ‘Jen’

SURRY CO., Va. – A Virginia sheriff’s office put out a warning on Tuesday after learning of a suspected gift card scam that appeared to be targeting pregn...
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SURRY CO., Va. – A Virginia sheriff’s office put out a warning on Tuesday after learning of a suspected gift card scam that appeared to be targeting pregnant women.

However, on Wednesday, the Surrey County Sheriff’s Office reported that there actually wasn’t a scam and spoke with the promotional advertisers that send out the gift cards.

The envelopes contain a card that appears handwritten, complete with fingerprint smudges and what appears to be ink that leaked through the back of the paper. Inside is the message “So excited for you! Hope you like these,” which is signed with a heart and the name Jen.

Also included are numerous gift cards for online-only stores that sell very specific items, such as pregnancy pillows, shoes or children’s fur hats, and what appear to be coupons that someone clipped by hand.

The sheriff’s office initially reported that the people behind the cards might be trying to lure shoppers into entering their debit or credit card information to cover the difference between the gift cards and store items.

They dug deeper, however, and traced the envelopes to an actual woman named Jeanette Pierce, issuing this statement:

This is a follow-up to the previous scam alert post. Upon further investigation we have revealed that “Jen” is Jeanette Pierce from Pleasant Grove, Utah. Upon speaking with Ben Pierce, who is General Manager for Mothers Lounge, LLC located in Pleasant Grove, Utah advised that they are sending out those cards as a promotional advertisement for those companies. It does not appear to be a scam. With increasing in scammers we wanted to inform the community as soon as we suspected it to be a scam but we have later determined that it is not. We apologize for any inconvenience that this mix up has caused but we wanted to err on the side of caution. They purchase your address and email from other businesses that you have gave that info to. You have to be sure to check the box that you wish not to have that information sold.

 

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