BBB issues warning for another phone scam
Last Modified: Saturday, September 22, 2012 6:34 PM
By Lance Traweek / American Press
The Better Business Bureau is warning people of a scam that involves phone calls claiming you have won a prize.
“If you get a call saying you won a prize but have to purchase a ‘Green Dot card’ to help pay for delivery fees, don’t buy it,” Carmen Million, BBB president, said in a news release. “It’s one of many scams out there making the rounds.”
Million said these calls are becoming a daily occurrence. The call comes from a person with a foreign accent — usually from area code 876 in Jamaica — who says the resident has won money, a car or another big prize.
“The caller then says the resident would need to purchase a Green Dot card to pay for fees so the prize can be delivered,” Million said. “When the consumer purchases the card, the caller calls them back and gives them a number on the card. The scammer removes the money off the card.”
Million said sometimes they call back saying authorities will not let them cross the state line into Louisiana, so they need additional funds to send the prize.
“It can — and will — continue until the consumer stops giving money,” Million said. “Lotteries and sweepstakes from outside the United States are illegal. You are not eligible to win. The only way to stop these scams is if people quit getting involved.”
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