Cell-phone scam costing Tri-State residents thousands in a matter of days - WGEM

RUSHVILLE, Ill. (WGEM) - A caller cell-phone scam has outgo Schuyler County country residents thousands of dollars successful a substance of days.

Schuyler County Sheriff Bill Redshaw said radical are receiving calls from scammers pretending to beryllium representatives of Publisher’s Clearing House.

Upon answering, Redshaw said the scammer tells the telephone telephone recipient that they person won a large currency prize.

All-in-all, helium said the scam has accounted for much than $14,000.

“They are truthful bully astatine what they do, that they tin conscionable astir fool anybody,” helium said.

One victim, Mary Shelts, mislaid much than $300 to the scam.

Before adjacent much wealth got distant from here, she was capable to enactment an extremity to it.

“He told maine helium was from Publisher’s Clearing House and I had won $8.9 cardinal and a caller car,” Shelts said.

Shelts said she has dealt with galore scam telephone calls successful the past and has ever been capable to observe a fraud, but the telephone she received past Friday was different.

“He knew a batch of things astir me, that’s what made it truthful existent to maine and helium was a precise creaseless talker,” she said.

How did Shelts suffer $300?

The scammer instructed her to acquisition a pre-paid acquisition card, specified arsenic a VISA card, and past archer the scammer the 15-digit code.

After that, the wealth was gone and ne'er to beryllium seen again.

Afterwards, she said the scammer kept calling successful effort to get much money.

“They don’t halt conscionable connected the archetypal amount, they volition telephone you respective days successful a row,” Redshaw said.

Over the years, Redshaw said dozens and dozens of radical person fallen unfortunate to galore scams that person accounted for thousands of dollars.

He said scammers typically travel the tv commercialized inclination erstwhile making telephone calls.

“About anytime, anybody similar that [Publisher’s Clearing House] comes connected TV, past that’s who the scammers prime up from,” helium added. “You’re watching TV, you spot the ads, you spot Publisher’s Clearing House is going to somebody’s location with the balloons and they deliberation they’re sold.”

Redshaw warns against anyone implicit the telephone who asks for idiosyncratic information, banking accusation oregon monetary compensation.

Here are immoderate tips to archer whether its a scam oregon not from the Federal Trade Commission:

• Scammers unreal to beryllium from an enactment you know.
• Scammers accidental there’s a occupation oregon a prize.
• Scammers unit you to enactment immediately.
• Scammers archer you to wage successful a circumstantial way.

According to the FTC, determination are ways to debar being scammed:

• Block unwanted calls and substance messages.
• Don’t springiness your idiosyncratic oregon fiscal accusation successful effect to a petition that you didn’t expect.
• Resist the unit to enactment immediately.
• Know however scammers archer you to pay.
• Stop and speech to idiosyncratic you trust.

Copyright 2022 WGEM. All rights reserved.