The Bethel Police Department has received several complaints of a financial scam involving gift cards used a so-called 'blocking cards.'  The scammer calls a victim and says that their personal information has been stolen, and the only way to secure it is to purchase blocking cards, which are gift cards.  The scammer will ask the victim to give the gift card information and numbers over the phone.  Bethel Police are reminding residents to never purchase gift cards after someone they don't know asks for them, nor to give gift card information over the phone.  Gift cards are not a secure means of transferring money, and once the information has been compromised, there is no effective way to recoup the money or investigate the crime.