Winder Resident Scammed Out of More Than $1,000

A Winder woman was recently duped out of $1,775 by a caller who said she had won a vehicle. 

The resident was contacted by a male who told her that to claim the vehicle, she needed to purchase a prepaid debit card and provide the card number. After purchasing three cards, the woman contacted the caller and was told instead of the $1,775, he needed $5,000. 

When the resident was at the Winder Police Department reporting the incident, the man called again and an officer was able to speak with him, noting a foreign, Middle Eastern accent and that the caller was using voice over IP due to the connection. When the officer told the man to not call again, he argued and the officer hung up. 

The officer then contacted the debit card provider in an attempt to have the resident's money returned. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation offers some warnings signs that a caller is attempting a scam. 

• “You must act ‘now’ or the offer won’t be good.”
• “You’ve won a ‘free’ gift, vacation, or prize.” But you have to pay for “postage and handling” or other charges.
• “You must send money, give a credit card or bank account number, or have a check picked up by courier.” You may hear this before you have had a chance to consider the offer carefully.
• “You don’t need to check out the company with anyone.” The callers say you do not need to speak to anyone including your family, lawyer, accountant, local Better Business Bureau, or consumer protection agency.
• “You don’t need any written information about their company or their references.”
• “You can’t afford to miss this ‘high-profit, no-risk’ offer.”

The FBI says that if you hear these or similar “lines” from a telephone salesperson, just say, “No, thank you,” and hang up the telephone.

Click here for tips on avoiding telemarketing fraud.