By Patrick Baron

LIVINGSTON CO – The Livingston County Sheriff’s Department reports that residents throughout the county are being contacted by scammers attempting to get checks and/or gift cards from their potential victims.

In a news release posted on the department’s Facebook page, the Sheriff’s Department says the scams generally target the elderly. The scammers reach out to their victims by sending them fraudulent checks and the victims are instructed to cash the checks and purchase gift cards to be sent back to the scammer. The scams reportedly involve thousands of dollars.

These types of scams can take money away from the fake checks that were cashed and the money used to purchase the gift cards.

Anyone who feels as if they have been a victim in a scam like this are asked to contact the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department before releasing any personal information or sending any checks to the scammers.

Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].