Citizens warned of scams
May 22, 2014
The Sublette and Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Offices have issued warnings about scams the western Wyoming area. Here are the most recent alerts:
Sublette County Sheriff’s Office, May 21, 2014:
The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office has received several complaints recently from citizens that have been contacted regarding money or prizes they have won. The callers inform them that in order to claim the prize they need to pay taxes or a deposit. In most cases these citizens have been asked to send money via Western Union to a specific person outside of the United States. In some cases they are given a name and address within the U.S. These calls are scams and fraudulent in nature. Anyone that is currently involved in a situation similar to this is advised to discontinue sending money and contact either the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office at 307-367-4378 or file a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation at www.ic3.gov.
Authority: Sheriff Dave Lankford
Stephen Smith, Public Information Officer
Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office alert (May 13, 2014)
Sheriff warns about recurring Green Dot and Jamaica Lottery scams
Sheriff Rich Haskell warned county residents of two telephone scams circulating in Sweetwater County.
"Our office has received a number of reports on a recurrence of the Green Dot scam," Haskell said on Tuesday. "People are being told by telephone callers that they have won $499,000 in the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes, but need to first put a fee on a Green Dot card for so-called ‘processing expenses.’ Once the victim has purchased the card, which is a legitimate, reloadable debit card, from Wal-Mart, Walgreen, or other store, he provides the scammer with the card number and the money disappears." Haskell said at least one person has fallen victim over the last week, losing $350.
Bogus Jamaican Lottery scam calls are also making the rounds again. Here the caller tells his would-be victim that he has won a huge sum in the Jamaican Lottery, but must pay a tax or processing fee, usually hundreds of dollars, before he can collect his winnings. Once again, the intended victim is instructed to put the sum on a Green Dot debit card, then provide the card information in order to collect. "Always remember," Haskell said, "If it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is."
|
