Pickett School Director Reports Phishing Scam After Light Purchase

Scammers tested their luck against the Pickett County School System after the district purchased LED lights for its football field.

Director of Schools Diane Elder said a phishing scam started when the shipment came in with the wrong lights. Elder said she then requested a refund and received an unknown phone call.

“There was a strange conversation that took place today between myself and someone supposedly from Amazon,” Elder said. “The strange thing about is they asked for our credit card number, and when I questioned them as to why they needed that information, they hung up on me.”

Elder said she reported the call soon after. Elder said the school system ordered several lights through Amazon. But unknowingly, the purchase was through a third-party vendor.

“We are having a terrible time dealing with them in order to get our refund for the ones that did not work,” Elder said. “I refuse to buy new ones until I can get a refund on the old ones.”

Elder said Amazon has indicated the company will fulfill the refund. Elder said the light replacement project has now been delayed for the foreseeable future. Elder said the original shipment took eight weeks to arrive.

In other business, the Pickett County School Board gave Elder the authority to adjust line items within different categories in the budget Monday. Elder said the recommendation came from an auditor but was not a finding from the State Comptroller’s Office.