Mom got a phone call yesterday from someone who told her that Donald J. Lafferty had won the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes for five million dollars. However, she had to first send them some “insurance money” before they could release the check to her.
She immediately recognized that it was a scam and told them so, but they insisted it was not. So she got a phone number and name and told them she would call them back after checking it out.
She called me and I assured her that it was most definitely a scam. Sweepstakes never require “insurance money” in advance, but that’s a common scammer ploy.
I toyed with the idea of contacting the police to see if they could be caught, but I doubt that they will call her back, or that the number was valid.
Anyway, Kudos to Mom for not falling for their tricks.
12 responses so far ↓
1 Grandma // Jan 9, 2008 at 11:20 am
They didn’t call me back–at least not at 5:45 AM, the way they did yesterday. I have their phone #, if anyone has an untraceable number which they would like to call to check. It’s (number deleted), and his name, as he even spelled it for me, was Robert Leeson. I think the thing which made me angriest was waking me at that unearthly hour; it took me a minute to realize what was going on.
When I answered, he asked, “May I speak with Donald Lafferty?” I said, “No” and waited. “Will he be there later?” “I doubt it. He’s been dead for four years.” That didn’t seem to matter; I could have the money. I think the amount was five million dollars. I don’t think that I reacted at all, so he asked, “Could you get to a Western Union to pick it up?” “No, I have had to sell my car, and I am in a wheel chair.” “You only have to pay for the insurance and handling, and that’s just” …(somewhere around) $450. I’m sure someone would take you to a Western Union for that.” “No, I don’t have that kind of money. I’m so poor that I”m even living in government housing”
He was ready to go on with his spiel, but I said. “That sounds too much like a scam to me, but give me your telephone number and name, and I’ll have my son check it out.” He did so willingly, and I, too, thought about calling the police, or Snopes, or someone, and as you can imagine, there was no more sleeping for me that morning. I looked all over the Internet, but could find nothing. Someone else may have a better idea.
He did say that it was from Publisher’s Clearing House, but I’ve seen too many TV ads for that to believe that they work that way. Anyway, I hung up on him, and his name and phone number is there for anyone who wishes to use it.
2 Don // Jan 9, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Publisher’s Clearing House doesn’t need you to give them any money. Good job catching the scam Mom! It would be nice to catch the instigators though.
3 Heather // Jan 9, 2008 at 7:06 pm
I googled Robert Leeson and he was a British writer born in 1928. Good job Gma! They like to confuse the elderly!
4 Heather // Jan 9, 2008 at 7:08 pm
876 area code is Jamaica
5 Heather // Jan 9, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Check out this! They are scamming several different ways in Jamaica!
http://www.ucan.org/blog/telecommunications/landline/800_301_7195_876_536_5711_Jamaican_International_Rates_Scam
6 Donna // Jan 9, 2008 at 7:14 pm
You have to ENTER PCH sweepstakes to win it, and they come knocking on your door with a check. You don’t have to go to Western Union. I’ve always thought it would be fun to try to scam a scam artist, but I bet it would be very hard to do. They have been around the block more than once.
Good job, Mom.
7 Heather // Jan 9, 2008 at 7:30 pm
I would also advise that nobody calls the number Gma posted, because it looks like that is what they want you to do, based on what I have seen on the web.
8 Grandma // Jan 9, 2008 at 9:23 pm
You are right, Heather. I just checked the Web site you sent. DO NOT call that 876 number, or it will cost you, between 4 and 8 dollars.
Daryl, maybe you had better remove the number that I posted; we don’t want anyone else drawn into their net.
9 Richard // Jan 9, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Glad you realized what was happening Mom. Not all senior citizens are feeble minded easy targets!
Reporting this to the police might be a waste of time, but if the perps are working the Phoenix area, the police may want to put out a public service reminder warning. The perp was most likely located in Jamaica and there is little or nothing the local PD would or could do about it.
Good information about the area code, Heather.
10 Dianna // Jan 10, 2008 at 8:26 pm
So glad you had your wits about you at 5:30 in the morning, Mom! The first thing I would have done is hang up on anyone calling me at that unheard of hour. I bet the police would like to know, as Richard says, to put out a public service announcement.
11 jocelyn // Jan 10, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Working at a bank we get updates on all the major scams going on. Recently the Better Business Bureau has had their name used in a foreclosure scam. Signing over your title will not stop your home from being foreclosed on. There was also a Wendy’s employee who was caught stealing credit card numbers. She had a scanner in her pocket and would scan customer cards. Later she would go home and make up cards using their numbers.
We have customers come in all the time with the fake lottery scams. Very good catch. You’d be amazed at how many intelligent people get fooled. And the time of day is a big give away. If they don’t realize you should be sleeping, they are probably working in a country we can’t prosecute.
12 Linda // Dec 28, 2009 at 12:32 pm
My husband is embroiled in this thing right now. I’ve shown him all kinds of things to prove it’s a scam, and he agrees that it might be, but he still might get a couple hundred thousand dollars. He won’t believe that the money flows only one direction in a scam. I’m pushing his physicians to get competency testing done on him.
I’m sick of living with the phone off the hook so I don’t have to talk with ‘David Smith’ or Wayne Gary’ or ‘Mark Manley’ (supposedly FBI out of Manhattan) many times a day. They all have the same accent and voice. I think it’s one person with many personas.
I’ve had the FBI (local), the attorney general’s office, and many more tell my husband that it’s a scam, but………….