Beaufort phone scam cheats victim out of $4K in gift cards

A Beaufort woman was the victim of a $4,000 phone scam on Thursday.

The victim was told by an unknown caller that one of her family members had been in a car accident and owed money to the public defender’s office, Beaufort Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Hope Able said on Monday. The victim believed she spoke to that family member on the phone, she told police.

The victim transferred $4,000 worth of gift cards to the scammer over the phone, Able said.

No suspect has been identified and the investigation in ongoing, according to a police report.

This story was originally published February 27, 2017 at 3:58 PM with the headline "Beaufort phone scam cheats victim out of $4K in gift cards."