TAPD warns of bogus sweepstakes awards

Texarkana, Ark., Police Department has had several calls recently about residents receiving cellphone calls from unknown or overseas numbers advising them they have won a significant amount of money.

The cellphone calls are scams, and the recipients of the call should hang up and protect themselves and their finances.

According to TAPD investigators, legitimate sweepstakes or lottery winners are hardly ever notified through an unsolicited call, and legitimate businesses such as Publishers Clearing House would never require winners to wire money to receive a prize.

Regardless of how the consumer is notified, once they turn over bank account information or wire funds, there is a good chance they will lose more money when their personal financial information is compromised.

When money is wired to a foreign country, it is very difficult, if not almost impossible, to get it returned.

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge offers the following tips to consumers to avoid falling victim to sweepstakes scams:

Do not try to collect winnings from a sweepstakes you don’t remember entering.

Never give out personal financial information.

Do not pay any money up front in an attempt to claim a prize.

Always remember, if it looks or seems too good to be true, it most likely is.

Consumers should ignore the bogus sweepstakes prizes and immediately call the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division to report the call and the number from which it originated. Consumers can contact the office via the Consumer Protection hotline at 1-800-482-8982 or online at arkansasag.gov.