Phone scam dials in Atmore
Published 4:27 pm Monday, September 14, 2009
By By Adam Prestridge
Scam artists are at it again, and one Atmore man is appalled by the phone calls he said his mother repeatedly receives from an individual promising her millions.
Donald Henderson said his mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, received one of several phone calls around 11 a.m. Friday from a supposed sweepstakes company asking her to send them hundreds of dollars to secure up to $2.5 million.
Henderson said scams such as these frustrate him because he fears some people in the area will fall for it and send money.
The phone calls Henderson’s mother has been receiving have instructed her to send a Western Union money order for as little as $150 and as much as $395 to an address for an attorney supposedly affiliated with a Las Vegas, Nev., sweepstakes company. She has been told if she does so she could win between $1.5 million and $2.5 million.
Henderson contacted the Atmore Police Department regarding the repeated phone calls out of concern for others in the community.
The police advised him to contact the newspaper to get the word out and hopefully prevent people from sending money.
Henderson said caller ID revealed that the number origination was Kingston, Jamaica, but he said the person on the other line asked that the money be sent to Spokane, Wash. The Advance’s attempts to reach the alleged company were unsuccessful and a reverse Internet search of the address provided revealed a home in a residential community.