Contact 13 Consumer Alert
Voicemail tells Valley woman she won $4.4 million in the lottery
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Las Vegas is a gambling city so when you hear the magic words you've won the excitement sets in. But what if you didn't play or even enter to win anything? In this consumer alert, Chief Investigator Darcy Spears exposes how scammers are trying to lure you in.
"I never play the lottery," explained Maria Carrillo.
That's why when Maria was confused by a voicemail message she recently got.
"He told me that I just won $4.4 million I was like yeah," said Maria.
Maria says the man left two phone numbers for her to call him back stressing how important it was that she respond. She knew it sounded like a scam and immediately hopped on the computer to Google the numbers. The results didn't surprise her.
"That's when we saw that it was a scam," said Maria.
Maria wondered what the hook was. Did they want her to wire money or give out personal information? So she called both numbers back. First, she called the local number.
"It was just a recording saying please call back and leave a message," said Maria.
Then she tried the one with the Jamaica area code.
"I got a call from you from American cash awards," said Maria.
The connection was bad and the man sounded confused to be hearing from her. He said he was dealing with another client and she needed to call back. The Federal Trade Commission says con artists often use the promise of big money to try and get you to send them money.
"I think there are people who are desperate enough to think oh my gosh I won especially maybe people who enter sweepstakes," said Maria.
Here's what Maria didn't understand and what a lot of other people don't. She saw the 702 area code and thought the man might be local, maybe from a casino or something. But the FTC says that's exactly what scammers are hoping you'll think. Technology makes it easy to disguise area codes.
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.