Putnam County Sheriff Robert Langley is warning residents about a scam targeting parishioners of local places of worship.  Scammers purporting to be the religious leader sends a text message to the victim, who is a parishioner of that place of worship. The text claims to be collecting Steam Cards or iTunes gift cards for patients battling Coronavirus.

The scammers direct the victim to purchase the cards, scratch off the back numbers and send pictures of the codes via text message.  In several cases the scammers specifically request $100 denominations. 

The Sheriff's Office says the scammers in some cases address the victim by first name and sign the text message as the pastor, priest or leader of the place of worship.

Anyone who is contacted by these scammers should report the incident to the Internet Crime Complaint Center www.ic3.gov, even if they do not send money. Any Putnam County residents who suffer a financial loss should report the crime to the Sheriff’s Office or their local police department for further investigation.