Monroe Police Warn of Phone Scam

From the Monroe Police Department:

On 11/20/2014, a 64 year old Monroe man received a telephone call advising him he had won $965,000 in the Las Vegas Megabucks Lottery. In order to claim his winnings, the individual had to send $5,000 to “cover Lotto and processing fees”. The $5,000 was to be sent via Western Union to two different addresses; one in Alabama, one in Florida. Unfortunately, the individual believed the caller, followed the instructions, and lost his money –even though he knew he had never played the Las Vegas Lottery.

FRAUDULENT /SCAM CALLS ARE A FREQUENT OCCURRENCE! If you did not play the lotto, you did not win it! Scams may vary in their content , but the caller will generally try to get the victim to either send money, or to divulge personal information. Should you receive a suspect cal of this nature, notify the Monroe Police Department immediately. DO NOT divulge personal information, including, but not limited to, bank account information Social Security number, Credit Card number.

Examples of recent fraud calls include calls from persons advising that the victim is a Lottery winner, has an arrest warrant out for them, is delinquent in IRS payments, has a relative in need of financial help in order to get out of jail.

DO NOT GIVE OUT ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION to callers. Contact the Monroe Police Department immediately regarding any suspect telephone calls. DO NOT send money via Western Union, or through use of pre-paid cash cards, as this money will be unrecoverable.

Scam callers are very convincing, as evidenced by the incident outlined above. Beware of the scam/fraud calls, and contact the Monroe Police Department if you receive any suspicious telephone calls of this nature.

Lieutenant Brian H. McCauley
Monroe Police Department
Support Services Division Commander

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