East Lansdowne PD Warns of ‘Phantom Hacker’ Gift-Card Scam
Police warn residents about callers or messages claiming accounts or computers are compromised and demanding payment via gift cards, cryptocurrency or wire transfers.
The East Lansdowne Police Department warns of a growing "Phantom Hacker" scam where callers, emails or texts impersonate government agencies, banks, tech companies or law enforcement and claim a bank account, computer, or personal information has been compromised. Scammers demand immediate, secretive payments — often via gift cards, cryptocurrency or wire transfers — but no legitimate agency will request payment with gift cards; residents should hang up, avoid sharing personal or financial information, contact organizations using trusted numbers, and report suspected scams to local police, with seniors especially urged to be cautious.