Two Town of Vienna Residents Scammed
March 26, 2010
Sgt. Mark Olson
Phone:608-284-6875
Email:olson.mark@co.dane.wi.us
Sheriff's Office
One victim was scammed out of $60, 000 by a person claiming that the victim had won a $1.8 million lottery prize. The victim sent several checks ranging from $3,000 - $5,000 and eventually a bank employee caught on and advised this was a scam. The suspect called the victim numerous times per day telling them they needed to send $60, 000 to receive the winnings. While a deputy was taking the complaint the suspect called over 5 times and eventually spoke to the deputy telling the deputy that the victim was a “lucky winner”. The suspect became upset with the deputy’s questioning and began yelling obscenities at the deputy who confirmed to the victim this was a scam.
The second victim was scammed out of $62, 000 by an email sent to them stating that their cousin had died in Africa and they were entitled to a large amount of money from their cousins estate. All they needed to do was make a “one time” payment of $22,480 to pay for the “inheritance and entitlement clearance certification fee.” This scam involved unsolicited emails that led to “official” looking notices via the US Mail and the victim sent several payments totaling over $62, 000 to Toronto, Canada.
Each year the Sheriff’s Office receives reports of phone and internet scams where money is usually sent out of country, typically to Canada, where the offenders set up shop in internet cafes in larger cities. The Sheriff’s Office wants to remind people that if it sounds too good to be true it probably is and they should never send money to email or phone solicitations claiming they have won prizes or inheritances.
# # # Both incidents are still under investigation # # #