By Jamie Dexter, MCSO Public Information Officer
Citizens of Montgomery County should be aware of a nationwide scam occurring, where victims are made to believe they’ve won large amounts of money through “Global Sweepstakes.”
“While we haven’t seen any reports about this here at the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, we still want our citizens to know it’s out there, and it could end with a devastating hit to your bank account if you get involved,” said Sheriff John Fuson.
According to reports from other law enforcement agencies, victims find themselves involved after signing up for what they believe to be Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes on the internet.
Later, the victim will receive a phone call from someone saying they have won a large sum of money from “Global Sweepstakes,” but before they can receive their prize, they must first pay applicable taxes and fees in cash.
In one instance in Colorado, the victim was asked to send $6,500 in cash into the pages of a magazine and mail it to an Oklahoma address via next day air.
The victim was then asked to send more money, and by the time they had cashed out two IRA’s and sent eight checks, they ended up losing $78,400 in the scam.
Investigators found that the money had been sent to a man who was told if he opened several accounts in which to put this money, he could keep a portion of the funds, with another portion being sent to another man who was convinced to do the same.
“The key thing to remember with online and telephone contests and sweepstakes is that you should never have to pay them money to redeem a prize,” Fuson said. “That’s a huge red flag. Also, if someone asks you to handle large amounts of money by sending funds out or creating accounts for them, you should contact police, or you might find yourself an unwitting partner in a money laundering scheme.”
If any citizens have been contacted by such companies, they should alert law enforcement with any information they may have.