Seniors Plagued with Calls from 876 Area Codes
In recent weeks, the Better Business Bureau serving Greater Cleveland has received several calls from local seniors who are reporting a telemarketing scam.
Betty, a Lyndhurst resident, told the BBB she received several calls from David Barnes who said she had won $850,000 in a sweepstakes because she had “done business” with the BBB in the past year. She was instructed to go to Wal Mart and wire $755 to Ricardo Grant in Montego Bay to get her prize. He gave her two telephone numbers to reach him. Both had 876 area codes.
Turns out it was Betty’s lucky week. The day after hearing from Barnes, she got a call from Global International. This time, she was told she had won $5 million and needed to wire $200 to Jamaica to get her prize. The caller said he was calling from Pittsburgh and would arrive at her house by private jet in 45 minutes to hand over her check as soon as she wired the funds. She was instructed to not tell anyone about her good fortune, “Not even the BBB.”
An 876 area code can easily be confused as being one of the area codes used for toll-free codes, such as 866 or 888. In reality, 876 area codes originate from Jamaica.
The BBB offers these warnings:
Ø Never wire money or provide any personal information or account numbers in order to receive sweepstakes, lottery or contest prizes.
Ø Never deposit a check that you receive from an unfamiliar source who instructs you to withdraw the deposited funds and wire all or most of it to them. These checks are counterfeit. It will take several weeks for your bank to discover the check is a fake and you will be responsible to return the money to the bank and pay any bank fees.
Ø Don’t believe someone who tells you that you are required to pay taxes on your winnings before you receive them. Or customs fees. Or legal fees. Or any type of fees.
Ø Always check with the BBB. You can access BBB company reports at www.cleveland.bbb.org or call us at 216.241.7678 or 800.233.0361.
Greater Cleveland Better Business Bureau
2217 East 9th Street, # 200 Cleveland Ohio 44115
216-241-7678 ● www.bbb.org
The BBB Foundation thanks Dominion East Ohio Gas and many generous BBB Accredited Businesses
for their support of the Senior Awareness Initiative