Arkansas — The phone rings and a pleasant male voice with a Jamaican accent asks your name and wants to know if you have ever heard of the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol, or if you have received their notice in your mailbox.
They brush off the fact that you have never received a notice and hurry on to tell you that they are just 45 minutes from you house and they will be there in just 45 minutes or even a half hour!
Then he quickly proceeds to tell you that you have won a cherry red Mercedes-Benz automobile and a $1.5 million Cashier’s Check. And if you say sure and I’m Mickey Mouse, this does not deter him he just keeps repeating his scam knowing that the lure of something for nothing is golden (for him).
He will do and say anything to keep you on the phone. Even if you cuss him out, he will not take offense; he just keeps on.
He promises he is not after you personal information BUT he is. He starts asking you questions. He wants to know if you are married. He wants to know if your bank can handle a $l.5 million cashier’s check, AND he wants to know if you can send him $319 for the IRS for your prize money. He wants to know if you can pay what you will owe the IRS, AND when they get there with your cherry red Mercedes-Benz and cashier’s check you have to have that ready and they are on their way.
Oh yes, this guy has a patter. And he does get people to send him money. And once he does, he never goes away. He calls every day. “If you don’t send me a package, I’ll lose my job,” he cries into the phone. He is very intimidating to single women who live alone.
This scam is currently making the rounds in Randolph and Fulton Counties in Arkansas. They usually call on a Friday
If you have received a call like this. The office of the Arkansas Attorney General advises you do this immediately:
Gather up any information they have given you, addresses, names, phony cashier’s checks and take them to your local post office to be forwarded to the postal inspectors for investigation.
Do NOT under any circumstances wire money to these scam artists. Wired money is lost money, according to the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office.
NEVER give out personal or banking information . Never give your routing number to phone, E-mail, or mail requests — or any personal information. Always verify these requests through different methods Verify that it is a reputable company with which you have an existing relationship, the Attorney General advises.
Also, when purchasing items or services online, make sure your research the seller and know their physical location.
Besides the Jamaican Publishers Clearing House scam, some of the others making the rounds include: the International Lottery Scam, the Favorite Grandchild Scam, the Tech Support Scam, the Illegitimate Payday Loan Collector, the Counterfeit Check Scam and the Work at Home Scam.
It is advisable to contact your local law enforcement officer when these scam artists call. Also, you can file a Consumer Complaint with the Arkansas Attorney General.
And as the Attorney General’s Office says, “If the offer sound too good to be true, it probably is.”
— C.L.
