Methuen Police Warn About ‘Money Pak’ Fraud

Police in Methuen are warning the public, especially the elderly, against an alleged scam involving so-called “money paks.”

A Methuen Police spokesman says they have heard of several cases where a victim will receive a phone call from an unknown number. A person with a strong accent will say that one has not paid a bill or has won a grant. He/she will then instruct a potential victim to go purchase a money pak, also known as green dot PayPal card, in a certain amount and call him/her back and provide the pin number. Methuen Police say at that time, the contact will empty the card and tell a potential victim it did not work, and that they should purchase more cards and call him/her back.