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Police seek public’s help to identify suspects who scammed woman into buying Home Depot gift cards

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Riverhead Town police are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate three people who used Home Depot gift cards that were obtained as part of a phone scam in February.

An elderly Quogue woman was contacted electronically by someone claiming that there was child pornography on her computer. She was directed to purchase $10,000 in Home Depot gift cards to clear the device, police said.

The woman purchased the cards from the Riverhead Home Depot and provided the card information over the phone on Feb. 15 at about 3 p.m. Later that day, three individuals used the gift cards to make purchases at Home Depots across Long Island, from Suffolk to Nassau and into Queens and Brooklyn.

Police on Friday released surveillance images of the suspects and are seeking information on their identity. Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for any information that leads to an arrest.

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, using the mobile app by searching P3 Tips or visiting the website www.P3Tips.com. All calls and messages will be kept confidential.

Here are some tips on how to avoid similar scams, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Scams can be reported to the FTC here.