FCC warns seniors being targeted in gift card scam

WASHINGTON (WLS) -- The Federal Communications Commission issued an alert Thursday about scammers pretending to be government or law enforcement and demanding to be paid with gift cards.

The scammers often target seniors and tell them that a loved one was caught texting while driving or that they owe back taxes. The callers then tell the individuals they can resolve the problem by purchasing gift cards and giving the caller the card's access code.

The callers have identified themselves as officials with the IRS, FBI and local law enforcement agencies, the FCC said.

The FCC advises anyone who believes they might be a victim of the scam to report the incident to the company linked to the gift card, to local police and the FCC's Consumer Help Center.

The FCC will be hosting a Twitter town hall from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Central Time and will be taking questions about robocall scams.