Des Plaines man bought $3,000 in gift cards for fake Homeland Security agent, police say

A scammer posing as a Homeland Security Department agent persuaded a Des Plaines man to buy nearly $3,000 worth of gift cards and share photos of the cards, authorities said.

The 59-year-old victim said the fake agent called him Thursday and claimed fraudulent activity involving bank accounts in his name had been discovered, according to a Des Plaines police news release.

To clear up the issue, the caller said the man had to buy Walmart gift cards and provide the cards' codes. The man complied, police said.

The man called police after becoming suspicious of the situation.

People should verify the identity of a caller claiming to be from an organization by directly calling the organization, Des Plaines police officer Kathryn E. Kozlowski said.

Kozlowski encouraged people to immediately call 911 or their local police department's non-emergency number if they suspect they're being scammed.