A lady called The News-Banner a few days back and reported a potential threat that local seniors need to be aware of. She stated that a man representing a so-called prize-winning company called Sweepstakes Clearinghouse had contacted her elderly mother via telephone. The man, Joe Turner, told the elderly lady she had won an amazing $250,000.00 and all she had to do was mail the sweepstakes company a check for $2,500.00 to 12 Robin Terrace, East Hartford, Connecticut, to claim her prize. Supposedly once the check was mailed and received, a lawyer for Sweepstakes Clearinghouse would come with a constable and members of the Better Business Bureau to present the $250,000.00 prize to the lady.
When the elderly woman contacted her daughter about sending the money, the daughter contacted local law enforcement and they discovered that this was a scheme. Police actually traced the telephone number back to a California address.
In my personal opinion, parasites that pray on elderly or children are scum of the Earth. The absolute lowest of the low. Please be careful and do not be taken advantage of by scam artists. Remember the old adage…if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
-Jamie Gardner