LOUISIANA--If you've received a call from a stranger saying you won millions of dollars in cash and prizes, you're not alone. A group of anonymous callers has deceived people in other parts of the country and is now targeting Louisiana residents.
Patricia Hales fell victim and shared her story with NBC affiliate WDSU Channel 6 in New Orleans. And when the trickster called asking Hales for money, WDSU news reporter Rosa Flores was there to capture it all on tape.
The anonymous callers used Hales' faith to get to her wallet, by befriending her over the phone and congratulating her for winning a car and $2.5 million.
"'Do you believe in God sweetheart?' That's how he was doing me. 'This is coming from the good Lord. God sent this money to you,'" said Hales.
To receive the money, all she had to do was wire a $200 transaction fee to Philadelphia. When Hales told the stranger that she didn't have any money, the caller kept calling. He called the day she received her disability check.
"He said, 'The only thing that made me call you tonight was the good Lord.' So I said, 'Alright I'm going to go ahead and do it.'"
Hales wired her last $200 dollars to Philadelphia and the prize never arrived. But the next time that he called, WDSU news reporter Rosa Flores was there. The stranger on the other end of the line wanted more money.
"You are going to have to pay $150 to pay the transactions," said the voice through Hales' speaker phone.
"I'm not spending any more money," responded Hales.
"Sir, this is Rosa Flores from Channel 6 in Louisiana," Flores said into the speakerphone.
"You're Rosa Flores, Channel 6, Louisiana?" asked the caller.
"Yes. Why do you call asking for money, promise people that you are going to give them cars and millions of dollars and then have them waiting, like you have Mrs. Patricia here? He hung up," Flores said.
It turns out the calls are from a sweepstakes company that goes by Gold Rush International, American Direct Sweepstakes and a handful of other aliases. All the companies have "F" reports with the Better Business Bureau, BBB. WDSU called the businesses for comment; but the numbers on record did not work.
The BBB recommends that if you receive an anonymous call claiming you have won a prize, hang up. If you have already answered the call, report it to the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Wednesday, October 13th 2010 at 1:25PM
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