Police warn about phone scams
Southwest Regional police are warning area residents to be mindful of telephone scam artists after an attempted scam of an elderly Newell woman.
Police Chief John D. Hartman said the 74-year-old woman received a telephone call Wednesday morning from a man with a heavy accent who informed her that she had won $5.2 million through Merchants Bank and provided her with a code number to claim her winnings.
Hartman said the man told the woman that he was calling from the state of California but provided her with a contact number that police traced to Jamaica.
Hartman noted that the caller told the woman he intended to visit her home with a “crew” and requested that she “dress nicely” for the event.
He also attempted to get personal information from the woman including her age, her marital status, information about her children and the name of her bank, Hartman said.
“We recommend that area residents not provide any personal information over the phone to someone they do not know,” Hartman said.
He also advised anyone receiving such calls to alert their local police or the state police.