Scammer targets elderly woman with promise of prizes

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (WOWT) — An 89-year-old woman has lost money in a prize scam and the conmen kept calling back for more.

By overhearing her mother’s phone call Leslie isn’t disrespectful but lucky.

“I heard the part about prepaid cards, and I said uh no,” said Leslie.

Leslie took the phone from her mom.

“I consulted our sheriff bout you and they said you were a scammer, then I hung up. My mom makes about 700 bucks a month in social security and they already took her for half of that.”

Her 89-year-old mother who doesn’t feel safe being identified already gave the caller the pin number to drain a 300-dollar prepaid card.

The scammer promised the victim a Mercedes Benz and an F-150 in exchange for two $500 cards, or as he called them, ‘fees.’

New vehicles the 89-year-old supposedly won.

6 News called the scammer and said, “I’m standing in her driveway, I don’t see a new car, where is it?”

The scammer replied, “Get out of her driveway get out her home. When you leave her home, we will deliver her car we don’t want to see you.”

Her prizes were never delivered, and the 89-year-old lost $300.

Calls from someone claiming to be with Publishers Clearing House or Prize Patrol may be a scam. Red flags include a demand for fee payments through cash cards and they’ll pressure you to get that money quickly. Often the phone scammers have accents and different ones will call a victim to give the appearance of a large organization offering expensive prizes.

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