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By Tiffany Craig Special Assignment Reporter .
Published: Mon, August 04, 2008 - 7:25 pm
Last Updated: Mon, August 04, 2008 - 10:39 pm
Tiffany Craig
For years, 88-year old Jessie Hicks has been offered sweepstakes and fake checks in the mail.
Hicks registered her number on the national Do Not Call Registry so she didn't expect the problems on the phone. However, a persistent man keeps calling her home in West Mobile.
The Jamaican man on the phone claims he will send Hicks millions and throw in a BMW! All he needs is a few hundred dollars for shipping.
Hicks says his name is C.B. Kingston and his area code is 876. Her daughter called the number back on the caller ID and the man refused to stop calling.
Hicks plans to call the phone company to get the number blocked but wants to warn others about this activity.
Tina Waller with the Better Business Bureau says this case should act as a warning. The scammers are moving from Canada to Jamaica. "I guess it got too cold in Canada so they've moved south now to scam everyone in America. They're using reputable companies to get a leg in the door like Publisher's Clearinghouse, Readers Digest. They're using reputable companies that offer sweepstakes in the U.S. to weasel in."
If you believe you are the victim of a scam, call your local police department. Then, report the problem to the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau
Published: Mon, August 04, 2008 - 7:25 pm
Last Updated: Mon, August 04, 2008 - 10:39 pm
Tiffany Craig
For years, 88-year old Jessie Hicks has been offered sweepstakes and fake checks in the mail.
Hicks registered her number on the national Do Not Call Registry so she didn't expect the problems on the phone. However, a persistent man keeps calling her home in West Mobile.
The Jamaican man on the phone claims he will send Hicks millions and throw in a BMW! All he needs is a few hundred dollars for shipping.
Hicks says his name is C.B. Kingston and his area code is 876. Her daughter called the number back on the caller ID and the man refused to stop calling.
Hicks plans to call the phone company to get the number blocked but wants to warn others about this activity.
Tina Waller with the Better Business Bureau says this case should act as a warning. The scammers are moving from Canada to Jamaica. "I guess it got too cold in Canada so they've moved south now to scam everyone in America. They're using reputable companies to get a leg in the door like Publisher's Clearinghouse, Readers Digest. They're using reputable companies that offer sweepstakes in the U.S. to weasel in."
If you believe you are the victim of a scam, call your local police department. Then, report the problem to the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau