McALESTER —
It’s another scam.
A McAlester resident has reported to police that he received notification Monday that he’s a winner of the “American International New York State Lottery.”
However, he knew something was wrong when he was given instructions that he knew could result in him getting ripped off.
As part of the process to collect his so-called winnings, he was told to go to a store and to purchase a “scratch” money card for $125. After that, he was to report the PIN number and card number to whoever answered a telephone at a number he’d been given when told he’d won the lottery.
However, the intended scam victim knew that if he gave the PIN number and card number to another individual over the phone, that person could use the entire $125.
The intended victim reported the scam to McAlester police and said he wanted to get the word out to warn others in the area who might be approached in a similar matter.
McAlester Police Det. Capt. Gary Wansick said Tuesday that law enforcement officers are familiar with such scams.
“They happen constantly across the nation and they hit McAlester on occasion,” he said.
Wansick said the intended McAlester victim had been absolutely right to be suspicious when he had been asked to do what amounted to sending money to someone.
“If it’s a legitimate organization, when you’ve won money, they’re not going to ask you to send money,” Wansick said.
Do not send money to people who tell you that you’ve won money, Wansick advised.
Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.
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