LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ – A gamer in Ocean County was defrauded out of $3,500 after being told he was banned from an online game due to account delinquency. The gamer didn’t realize at the time, the $100 reinstatement fee ended up costing them $3,500.
According to Lacey Township Police Chief Michael DiBella, On Wednesday, March 9, 2022, Officer Emmett was dispatched to police headquarters for a fraud report.
“The victim reported that they had been contacted via an application called “Discord” by an unknown individual. The unknown suspect claimed that the victim had been banned from an online game application due to his account history,” DiBella said. “Over the course of the conversation, the unknown suspect requested access to the victim’s banking information, which the victim provided. The victim allow the initial transaction of $100.00, but then unknowingly, the unknown suspect withdrew $3500.00 from his account. After the withdrawal, the unknown suspect stopped responding to messages and the account was closed.”