Headlines:
| JA lottery scammers target North Carolina |
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| Wednesday, 29 July 2009 | |
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Another county in the United
States is reporting that the tentacles of the Jamaica based
lottery scam has reached its borders. According to the Craven County Sheriff's Department in North Carolina, at least five senior citizens in the County have been scammed out of several thousand dollars by callers from Jamaica. Sheriff's Captain Joe Heckman says the Jamaican callers are telling mostly senior residents they have won up to US$800,000 a lottery jackpot in Jamaica. He says the callers tell the seniors that they must wire between US$1,200 and US$1,800 to Jamaica and they will be mailed the US$800,000. He said on several occasions the seniors have sent money. Captain Heckman says he saw old people in tears after sending their money to Jamaica before realising they had been tricked. The sherriff captain says it is difficult to trace the Jamaican phone numbers because the scam artists had purchased a block of US phone numbers that they are targeting. US authorities have warned people who receive these calls not to participate, send money or give out personal information. Earlier this year, US and Jamaican authorities agreed to join forces to combat the multi-million dollar scam which has lead to scores of murders in Jamaica. |