SMITHFIELD – A disabled Smithfield woman lost thousands of dollars in a sweepstakes scam. Around January 18, the victim said she received a telephone call telling her she had won a $10 million sweepstakes and a new Mercedes.
The scammer told the victim in order to claim her prize she needed to purchase pre-paid credit cards and provide the card numbers. Unfortunately, the 69 year-old victim went to a Smithfield store and obtained multiple pre-paid cards totaling $4,300. She then provided the numbers to the caller.
Only later, when she didn’t hear back from the caller, she realized she had been defrauded.
According to AARP, in 2021, there were more than 148,000 reports of fraud involving prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries, an increase of 27 percent from 2020. Altogether, the victims collectively lost $255 million. Adults 55 and older account for 72 percent of all scams reported to the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
