DEVILS LAKE, N.D. – On Friday, Feb. 6 at 8:46 p.m., an employee at the Circle K convenience store on U.S. Hwy. 2 West was deceived into transferring $250 to two gift cards via PayPal and Chime from a caller claiming to have a partner in the parking lot holding a hostage at gunpoint.
The same scam was also perpetrated at several Circle K stores in Grand Forks in the same time frame. While staff at most of the locations there refused to pay, one was tricked into transferring $750.
The store clerk in Devils Lake believed the assertions of the caller after seeing someone in a car in the parking lot area and gave in to their demands, transferring the funds as directed. The caller was identified as male with an East Coast accent.
The phone number used by the caller was out of service by the time police were called to the scene. The investigation is ongoing.
Leave a Reply