Carson City has been hit with several cases of telephone scams claiming callers won substantial amounts of money.
Once recent scam impersonated the Publisher’s Clearing House, claiming the recipient won the prize in 1991 and could obtain the money after sending a money order to “cover the taxes” on the money.
The victim, Joan Reguera, said she was told she would need to send $495 via a mail order from Walmart to receive her prize. She said the caller gave her names and numbers of insurance agents, accountants and the driver who would deliver her money to her.
“I knew this was a scam, so I just kept going with it to get as much information as possible from him,” Reguera said. “But he was really good.”
She said she kept playing along with the scheme and went to Walmart to talk with the workers who deal with placing the money orders, and when she got there the caller asked to speak to the woman working at Walmart. When the employee took the phone, the caller changed his story and told her Reguera was his grandmother and she was just sending money to Georgia for him.
“He kept calling me after that and kept trying to tell me that he’s trying to help me but I told him don’t call again and he called three more times before I just blocked him,” Reguera said.
A similar scam was also reported, concerning the Consumer Affairs Fraud Department. The victim Lori O’Brian, said she received a call from a woman who claimed she was with Consumer Affairs and the company had been notified from the American Gaming Corporation O’Brian was the winner of $450,000.
O’Brian was told she had to pay about $900 for insurance for the winnings.
“I just knew as soon as you have to pay money to win money it is a scam,” O’Brian said.
O’Brian told the caller she didn’t want the money and called the state insurance fraud department as well as the gaming conditions department to verify the scam and they confirmed that it was a hoax.
Money scams like this aren’t uncommon. Because of recent technology, scammers can create false contact information to trick people into believing they’re credible institutions.
If you’re victim of or receive a suspected scam call, report it to the Carson City Sheriff’s Office at 775-887-2500 or in person at 911 E. Musser Street.