Update: Juneau Police Department finds Fred Meyer threat to be related to gift card scam

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Wednesday, February 1st, 2023 5:53pm

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Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - On Feb. 1st, at about 2:27 p.m., the Juneau Police Department received a report from Kroger Inc., located in North Carolina, regarding a possible threat at the Juneau Fred Meyer store.

Update: 02/02/2023: 1:12 PM

JPD has released more information surrounding the investigation. A 70-year old woman had purchased a $500 gift card earlier in the day and gave the number to a man over the phone she was talking to. The unknown man is believed to be the one who made the threat or is associated with him. For unknown reasons, the gift card didn't work prompting the threat to be made. This incident is believed to be part of a gift card scam and that the woman is a victim of fraud.

Update 02/02/2023:

JPD does not believe there is a current threat at Fred Meyer, and the report is possibly a hoax, similar to the reports of "Swatting"; which is a term used to describe making hoax phone calls to report serious crimes to emergency services. JPD is no longer on scene at Fred Meyer and the investigation will continue.

Original 02/01/2023:

Kroger Inc. reported that their Customer Service Department received a call from an unknown male who was upset and made a threat of violence at Fred Meyer.

JPD responded and as of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, JPD was still on the scene at Fred Meyer and working with store employees on keeping customers safe, as well as identifying the caller.

JPD advises the public to please use discretion if coming to Fred Meyer. JPD will provide updates as they become available, and this article will be updated as more information becomes available.

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