Have you received a telephone call in the past from a man with a West Indian accent upon your caller ID listing his location as Bear, Delaware saying you won $450,000 from Publishers Clearing House? If so, did this person allegedly tell you in order to claim your $450,000 and brand-new Chevrolet.com vehicle, you had to go to Walmart and get a money order for $499 first before receiving your prize? If the answer is yes to receiving a telephone call in the past from a man with a West Indian accent calling from bear, Delaware claiming you've won something and wanted you to either get a money order for $499 or a prepaid debit or and give them the number, that was a scam artist trying to bamboozle you for money over the phone. That person contacted DrewryNewsNetwork's mother in the past trying to run that scheme. That person was reported to the Delaware Atty. General's office (attorneygeneral.Delaware.gov) for investigation. This was virtually around two years ago.
If anyone contacts you by telephone or e-mail stating you want something and want you to wire them money or get a prepaid debit card in order to receive your prize, ignore them. DrewryNewsNetwork.com is advising Delawareans be conscious about spoof e-mails and scams.
Here's what to do if you receive a scam phone call claiming you've won a prize:
1. Always keep a pen and paper handy near your telephone so you can jot down the location and telephone number the scam artist is contacting you from. If you have a digital camera nearby, turn it on immediately and film yourself, and be sure to have the volume turned up to the highest notch.
2. If you don't have a digital camera and have a tape recorder nearby, tape record the conversation as evidence. Ask the person their real name and where she or he is calling from. Ask intense questions and see if they accidentally spill information. During the conversation, he or she may slip up and say something unintentionally giving themselves away as scam artists. Be sure to take a look at your caller ID for the location they're calling from and asked them where they are calling from. If the location is different from what the caller ID states, put them in a mental corner and ask them why they're not telling the truth.
3. After filming yourself with a digital camera on the phone with the scam artist or tape recording it, immediately contact the Delaware Atty. Gen.'s office.
4. If you know any additional creative ways to catch a scam artist in a lie during the course of the telephone conversation, go for the gusto and be sure your tape recorder is recording everything so the attorney general's office in Delaware can listen to it after taping.
Read more here on news.Delaware.gov