Today I was contacted by a phone number which the caller ID indicated was originating from Jamaica. Now normally I wouldn't indulge in a phone conversation like I was about to, but it is Friday and the weekend is here so I decided to explore this a little.
The number was 876.436-7385. The name of the caller was David Widerman with the "American Mega Millions Jackpot Company." "David" did not so much speak the English language as he did chew it up and spit it out.
I was ecstatic to learn from "David" that I was the proud winner of $8.5 million! I won even though I never entered any lottery! Here I was under the impression that foreign lotteries were against the law! What are the chances?! Eight and a half million dollars! That’s a day brightener!
Anyway, after congratulating me about 10 times, David gave me instructions. I was to go to the nearest Walmart and wire $2,500 to a fictitious person. (He didn’t use the word “fictitious”, that was me). I was to then take the receipt from transaction to the “delivery team” at a motel near the Chattanooga Airport. He insisted that the Delivery Team was standing by to bring me my money and my car, even though he had said earlier in the conversation that UPS was bringing it.
I asked “David” which hotel and he would not tell me. He was extremely worried that I was going to go over to the motel and rob the “delivery team.” He also wanted me to “verify” my name and address. I asked him what name and address he had on file for me. He said he did not have my name and address but that my number was selected from a list of phone numbers. I inquired how he was going to “verify” anything if he didn’t have it in the first place.
As I fired a barrage of questions he stammered and got flustered, even repeating some of my questions back to me (for those of you who don’t know, this is a indication of deception). We went round and round and he was very insistent that the next step was for me to go to a Western Union and wire the money to a woman in Memphis. I again insisted that he tell me where the delivery team was staying. He responded with “the Holiday Inn nearest to the Chattanooga Airport.”
He was still convinced that I was going to go over there and steal my own winnings. I assured him that I was an honest person and that I was a police officer. I also told him that I knew what he was doing and that I would make it a mission to see that nobody in my county ever falls for his scam. We exchanged pleasantries and then disconnected.
Folks, people are falling for these scams all the time. Please, hang up on them and tell your family and friends not to fall for it. If you do fall for it, there is not a whole lot that can be done by your local agency. These scumbags prey on the elderly especially. Ten times out of ten if you Google the phone number, there will be some forum in the search results that will indicate that it is a scam. Either way, don't do it.
If it looks too good to be true, it is. Spread the word.
At your service,
Jamie Gienapp