Part 1 of 2
It was bound to happen eventually, but I've been scammed.
Well, they didn't get any money, but they took my time and tied up my work phone for two days, and in my world, that's enough.
I've been answering telemarketer calls since I was big enough to reach the phone, and as soon as I realize what's going on, generally when they mispronounce my name, I say, "No thank you," and hang up. I probably get five or six calls a week, and I'm sure I'm not alone.
But Monday was the first time I ever got a scam call. It caught me off guard because it came through my direct line at the office.
I couldn't understand what the person was saying and assumed we had a bad connection. I hung up. He called back and asked, "Why did you hang up on me?" He had a very thick accent and there was a lot of background noise, which made it difficult to understand the rest of conversation. I was able to figure out that he had a package to deliver to me and he wanted to verify information.
Because I hadn't ordered anything, and because he was calling my work number and not my house number, I assumed I was the recipient of a scam phone call.
I hung up.
He called back.
I hung up again.
While I was getting a drink of water, my phone rang again and went to voice mail. He left a message.
While I was listening to this message, he called again.
I answered with my standard greeting, "News-Item, this is Julie," the same greeting I had used with the previous calls. He still didn't seem to understand he was calling an office, let alone a newspaper.
This call was more clear. The caller apologized for not being able to get through to me more easily, but he wanted to be sure I received my package. What a sweetheart.
Knowing it was a scam and this caller had proven himself tenacious, I decided to play along and see what I could find out. Nothing irritates me more than someone who purposely tries to take advantage of others. We've received press releases and phone calls from police departments and local municipal leaders urging people to never give out financial or personal information over the phone and to be aware of ne'er-do-wells who would take every chance to steal money. These advisories often ask people to especially look out for their elderly or disabled friends and family members, because scammers seem to get sick pleasure from taking advantage of society's most vulnerable citizens.
At the very least, if I tied up his calls, he might make one less phone call that day. For the record, I don't advise others to do this, and neither do the authorities. (See separate story.)
But, because this scammer had called a newspaper, I put on my reporter hat and let it ride.
"Where are you calling from?" I asked him.
"I am a driver with UPS Delivery Services," he said. The proper name of the real international deliver service is simply UPS, so that was strike one.
"What is your name?" I inquired.
"John Washington," he replied. Probably not, but who am I to judge? Still, strike two.
I asked him for his phone number, so I could call him if there was a problem. He said to call the number that came up on the caller ID. However, there was no number on the caller ID; it was a code that indicates the call came from within The News-Item company. I know all of my co-workers and I'm aware some of them have second jobs, but I'm pretty sure none of them work at UPS. Or sound like they're from Jamaica.
Strike three.
I asked him again for his number, but he said he didn't have one because he's calling from a cordless phone. I have no idea what that means, but it was obvious he wasn't going to give me his contact number.
Targeting the elderly
I kept asking questions and learned Washington had a package from Publishers Clearing House to deliver to me to a Montoursville address. I've never lived in Montoursville. Honestly, I haven't been to Montoursville since I was a photographer and took photos of a district playoff basketball game about six years ago. He repeated the address to me several times, and when I looked it up later, I learned it's the address of an elderly housing development operated by SEDA-COG.
Well now, Washington, you officially got me started.
Washington told me he couldn't deliver the package unless he knew the taxes were covered so the reputation of his company wouldn't be compromised. He said his company was willing to cover part of the taxes (aren't they sweet?), but I was responsible for the rest upfront. Strike four: Publishers Clearing House doesn't ask for any money upfront.
Washington told me to go to Rite Aid, CVS or Walmart and put $200 on a Green Dot reloadable debit card. He said it would cost $4 to get the card. He asked me how long this errand would take; I said an hour. He told me he'd call back in an hour and 15 minutes.
In the meantime, I spoke with Mike Fisher in the housing department of SEDA-COG and told him about the phone calls and the address used. He said he is concerned about the people who live at the address given, and said he'd speak with the rental managers to make sure none of the residents are being scammed.
My lucky day
I got my next phone call at 5:30 p.m., however, this time, John White called me. It was a good connection and I could understand him well. I asked where Washington was.
"Washington was the guy who talked to you earlier, but he's in a meeting," he said. Funny, White sounded just like Washington.
He asked if I got the card, but I said I had car trouble and couldn't get to the store. He said his office was about to close and he would call the next day. He asked when I would be leaving for work (I guess he still thought he was calling my house). At first, I told him to call me at 9 a.m. I figured he could keep calling my desk until I arrived for my shift at 2:30 p.m.
He repeated to me again where to go and how to put $200 on the card. He said I would give him the card number when he called the next day and he would deliver the package.
I asked him again why he needed $200. He said it's 1 percent of the taxes that need to be paid for the government approval stamp so the U.S. marshals won't hassle the delivery people when they enter the country. None of that made sense (Publishers Clearing House is an American company and UPS ships internationally every day; why should there be issues with customs?), but I asked him to repeat himself several times, and this is his story. Apparently, he's sticking to it.
"You're responsible for the 1 percent. We've already paid $800," he said. Some quick calculator work determined $200 is 1 percent of $20,000. If I pay $200 and they paid $800, who pays the remaining $19,000? When I asked him, he hesitated for a nanosecond and went right back into his "how to get a Green Dot card" spiel.
"Where will the package be sent?" I asked.
He repeated the address from the previous calls, but got one number wrong. I said it's not my address. He asked for my name, but I said he should tell me the name that's on the package.
He spelled out a man's name I'd never heard before. A colleague looked up the name and it matched that of a person who lives at the housing complex run by SEDA-COG.
White told me I would have to drive to the address to pick up my package because that's the address associated with the number he called. I told him it's illegal for me to accept a package being sent to another person at another address. He told me sometimes people fill out these entry forms for friends or family and I should just pick it up.
"But why can't you bring it to me? I'll give you my address," I said. I planned on giving him the address of a police department. "Montoursville is two hours away. I can't drive all the way over there; my car just broke down."
That's the reason we told you to go as soon as possible, he said.
"If you don't make a move, we can't make a move. If you would have gotten this done today, we would have come over before evening," he said.
So, now it's my fault that I don't have my winnings? For the record, after all these calls, I still had no idea what I won. For all I know, I could have been asked to pay $200 for $25.
I asked him how much I won. He said $2.1 million plus $200,000 spending cash. He said he could make my winning public and the news cameras would be there, but most people want it private. I wasn't sure if that was a threat or to entice me to do things his way so I wouldn't have to worry about people climbing out of the woodwork to help me spend my money. He said there would be a limo at the Montoursville address with two U.S. marshals inside waiting to take me to the bank so I could deposit my check. He said there would be lawyers there, too.
I had a sad image of a person standing alone in front of a housing complex waiting for a much needed check that never arrives. I see this person walk slowly back to his apartment, too embarrassed to report it or ask for help. Sadly, it doesn't end there. Generally, once a scammer finds a person who will send money, they keep calling and asking for more. Before anyone else even knows what's going on, the person has sent thousands of dollars to a person with a fake name and plenty of time to kill.
I told White again I couldn't get to Montoursville because my car broke down, but I could buy a nice new car with my spending cash.
"Well, this is really your lucky day," he said.
He said he'd ask for my address when he called the next day for the card number.
"We're going to keep calling," he said. I believed him. These guys are relentless.
I heard a baby crying in the background. It didn't sound to be in distress, probably just bored or ready for dinner. I told White it's nice his boss lets him bring his baby to work. He said the office is just about to close and his wife came to pick him up.
"You can talk to my wife if you want," he said. I told him it wasn't necessary, but she was probably ready with a "you can trust him/congratulations!" speech. This is a common scam, and for them, maybe it's just a way of life. Maybe they think we somehow deserve to be douped. Do they only call Americans or do they prey on everyone?
I told him again I work for a newspaper. He didn't seem to understand what a newspaper is. Que "how to get a card" spiel.
I told him to call me the next day at 3 p.m. He said the banks close at 3 p.m. and we need to do this early enough that I can get to the bank in time to deposit my check. I said my bank is open until 8 p.m. That seemed to satisfy him. He bid me a good evening and said he'd call again.
(Coming Saturday: Scammer is suddenly a U.S. marshal, and he brings me in on the "sting.")