TIFTON, GA - A Tift County woman turns the tables on an overseas scam artist. She didn't fall for their scam but instead recorded their conversation and called the sheriff.
Velma Scott got multiple phone calls from Jamaica claiming she had won hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"He said congratulations, you've won $850,000," said Scott.
After explaining she had won a contest, the caller started asking her more personal questions.
"He asked what bank I used. I told him I didn't have a bank. He said we'll take your credit cards. I said I don't have any credit cards. He asked if I was on Social Security and I told him I was," said Scott.
Velma was dealing with a scammer. She had won nothing. But the caller then asked her to take a trip to Walmart and fill out a money order.
Scott said the called stated, "You'll have to put $175 with it. I have two men that's coming by who will pick it up."
That's when Velma called the sheriff's office. But the calls kept coming in. At least 5 of them from someone in Kingston, Jamaica. The caller even pretended to be law enforcement officer.
"The guy called and said he was Sheriff Williams and it was ok for me to deal with those people," she said.
They even gave the number for a bank that would verify her winnings. We called that number and it was disconnected.
A real deputy came over talked to the scam artist and filed a report. The calls stopped. Velma didn't fall for this, but others could. That's why she's concerned.
"My sons grandmother, it happened to her. And they did take quite a bit of money from her," said Scott who fears the fraudsters could prey on senior citizens.
The Tift County Sheriffs Office says they receive complaints about scams frequently. Many of them operate out of Africa and claim you have won a lottery but you have to wire money in order to get your winnings.
Local law enforcers will look into these cases but because the con artists usually operate internationally it's hard to track them down and even harder to bring them to justice.
The FTC is working to crack down on Jamaican scams. To learn more click here.
Copyright 2012 WALB. All rights reserved.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 Worldnow and WALB, a Raycom Media Station. 
