Full Notification

A Macungie resident had received a series of telephone calls from a male claiming to be representative from Proctor Gamble Company. The resident was advised he was a second place winner in a sweepstake drawing and won $700,000. The resident was instructed to go to CVS or Walmart and obtain GREEN DOT pre-paid credit cards in the amount of $1,200. After purchasing the cards, he was instructed to call a provided phone number. The resident was told a prize delivery team was at LVIA waiting to be dispatched to his home for the delivery of the money in the form of a certified check. The resident's attempt to purchase the GREEN DOT cards was declined by the retail store after they informed him of scams involving large sums of money credited to that particular type of card. The resident returned home and called the number provided and was coached about what to tell the retail store. He returned to the store and attempted the purchase a second time where police intervened before he lost the money to a scammer.

The resident was advised of the common red flags associated with this type of prize winnings. The resident was convinced the calls were legitimate and allowed police to be present when he called the contact back. A male answered and again advised the prize delivery team was currently on Buckeye Rd en route to his residence to deliver the money. The resident was told before the ARMORED TRUCK would stop, they needed the card number and PIN associated with the GREEN DOT transaction. The resident (did not have GREEN DOT cards) told the male on the phone he would relinquish the numbers when the truck arrived. The male made several attempts to convince the resident to provide the numbers and finally told the resident the truck would be at his home momentarily. A truck never showed and the resident had more time to think about the entire incident realizing it was a scam attempt.

The "classic" red flags associated with the incident;
* A prize was won without the resident entering a contest
* Paying money out of pocket to claim a prize
* The use of pre-paid Green Dot or Visa/Master Cards
* A minimal time parameter to finalize the transaction

If you suspect a phone call as a scam attempt, ask for a return phone number and research the information the caller provides to you before taking action. If you are still unsure, you can always call the police department.