Comments on: Elderly Prescott Man Victim of American Sweepstakes Scam

By: 5d

5d — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 00:00:31 +0000

was contacted and told we won 450,000 but thy were trying ti contact us for 6 weeks but couldn’t reach us so now the insurance that covered the prize money insurancewas expired and in order for us to get our prize of 450,000 we needed to insure the amount for the currier to deliver it, to us. then i asked how much insurance cost to insure it they wanted 4,500.00 they would put it in escrow and we would get it back when prize was delivered. They said prudential insurance would insure it, but I called prudential and asked if they did insure prize winnings and they said they said no and they tried to tell me also that their idenfication was a insured govenrment laison with the Dept. of Commerce I told them to let the money go to the dept. of revenue I didn’t have 4,500.00. I knew it was a scam. 7/19/2016

By: John Leland

John Leland — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 20:09:45 +0000

I had a call on 25 Feb 16 from American Sweepstake with the pitch for $750K won. I told the guy who called himself Jim Kingston to “Go to Hell” and worse! The phone number he called from on the caller ID was (206) 488-5929. Can’t something be done by the federal gov’t to shut this outfit down, along with the Grandparents Scam and the bogus calls saying the Internal Revenue is about to sue? My wife and I get these calls all the time and are quite irritated about it. John Leland, O’Fallon, IL

By: Anthony Palermo, YCSO

Anthony Palermo, YCSO — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 17:00:17 +0000

This long distance phone scam causes consumers to inadvertently incur high charges on their phone bills. You will usually receive a phone message or e-mail telling them to call a phone number with an 809, 284, 649, or 876 area code in order to collect a prize, find out information about a sick relative, etc. The caller assumes the number is a typical three-digit U.S. area code; however, the caller is actually connected to a phone number outside the United States, often in Canada or the Caribbean, and charged international call rates.

Unfortunately, consumers don’t find out that they have been charged higher international call rates until they receive their bill.

These charges can be in the $2000.00 range for 1 minute.

Please be aware and follow these tips to help avoid the 809 area code scam:

•Return calls to familiar numbers only. As a general rule, return calls from numbers that contain familiar or recognizable area codes. You may call your directory assistance or long distance operator to check the area code location, or look on line. Just type in your search page “area code (then the number)”

•Carefully read your telephone bill. Make sure that you only receive charges from your provider of choice. Ensure you thoroughly understand charges listed on your phone bill, have chosen to do business with all of the listed providers billing for those charges and have authorized additional fees invoiced.

If you believe that you have been scammed:

•Contact the carrier with whom the charge originated, whose name and toll-free telephone number should be printed on the same bill page as the charge in question. Often, the problem can be resolved with a single phone call.

•If the carrier with whom the charge originated does not agree to resolve the problem, contact your local phone company who should work with you and the carrier to help remove fraudulent charges from the phone bill.

Anthony J. (Tony) Palermo CCPS
Community Relations Specialist
Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office
255 E. Gurley Street
Prescott, AZ 86301
anthony.palermo@yavapai.us

By: Priest

Priest — Fri, 16 Aug 2013 13:16:01 +0000

Greed is a terrible thing.