Family & BBB warn of sweepstakes scams

One Kalamazoo man has lost more than $70,000 to a sweepstakes scam.

MORE THAN 70- THOUSAND DOLLARSAFTER FALLING FOR ASWEESPTAKES SCAM.FOX 1 7PROBLEM SOLVER RYANCUMMINGS IS LIVE IN THE STUDIO.TO SHARE HIS STORY AND THEWARNINGFROM HIS DAUGHTER.HE DID NOT WANT TO GO ON CAMERAABOUT THIS..BUT HIS DAUGHTER WANTS TO MAKESURE OTHER FAMILIES DON'TBECOME THE NEXT VICTIM.3:13 "The way he described itethy were so excited about itand got him excited aboutit." KATHY CHAPMAN'S FATHER,RICK, GOTTHE CALL IN JANUARY.

SCAMMERSTOLD HIM HE'D JUST WON $2.5MILLION DOLLARS IN THEPUBLISHER'S CLEARING HOUSESWEEPSTAKES DRAWING.PLUS A N EWBMW AND SOME GOLDMEDALLIONS.

3:19 "And heneeded to pay some taxes andfees before they could deliverhis prize to him.Then just over the next few dayshe wasinstructed exactly what to dohow to sendthe money where to go." THESCAMMERS TOLD HIM TOWITHDRAW THE MONEY FROM VARIOUSLOCATIONS WHEREHE BANK.ED THEN INSTRUCTED HIMTO OPEN UP A NEWSAVINGS ACCOUNT AND NAME IT ABENEFICIARY ACCOUNT.4:13 "H weithdrew money fromhisexisting checking and savingsbut alsotransferred large sums into thisnew accountand was instructed to withdrawmoney fromvarious investments his lifeinsurance andannuities and once he got thatmoney todeposit it into this beneficiaryaccountturn around and withdraw largesumsof cash and mail those to anaddress inMississippi." THE FAMILYDIDN'T FIND OUT ABOUT IT UNTIL AWEEK LATER.AFTER THE CREDIT UNION ALERTEDPOLICE ABOUT THE WITHDRAWALS.KATHY ALSO GOT A CALL FROMOFFICERS.

TELLING EHR THATHER 84-YEAR-OLD FATHER WASTAKING OUT MORE MONEY FROMANOTHER BRANCH.

6:58 "I gotreally scared I said, 'there'ssomething terrible going on.

Andwhatwas in my head was that therewasmesobody at his home with a gunto his headmaking him go out and taking outthese largewithdrawals andbr ing it back tothem."HE WAS WITH POLICE WHEN SHE GOTANOTHER CALL ABOUT A BIGWITHDRAW.

L8:04 "They put mydad on the phone andI said, 'dad what's going on.'And he justkept insisting it was a surpriseI can't tell youI'm ok, you don't need to worryabout it it's abig surprise and I said, 'no youhave to tell mewhat's going on this makes nosense."HE FINALLY TOLD HER ABOUT THESWEEPSTAKES.

AND SHE KNEWHE'D FALLEN FOR A SCAM.

HISWIFE JUST PASSED AWAY AFEW MONTHS BEFORE THIS.

DOCTORSCHECKED OUT HIS MENTALHEALTH AND FOUND NOTHINGWRONG.

12:38 "So honest hiswhole life, so hardworking,never looking for an easyway out, so for them to convincehim that heneeded to do this just floors methat hewould believe this."UNFORTUANTELY HER FATHER IS NOTALONE.

THE BETTER BUSINESSBUREAU IS LOOKING INTOSEVERAL OF THESE SCAS.M ANDTHEY'VE REALLY RAMPED PUDURING THE PANDEMIC.

A MAJORITY- TARGET PEOPLEWHO ARE 55 OR OLDER.

AND 90% OFTHEM ARE LOSING MONEY TO IT.SOMETIMES WHENSCAMMERS USED LEITG BRANDS..LIKE PUBLISHER'S CLEARING HOUSE.1:01 "And so people are like,"yea thissounds great I've won millionsof dollars Iwon a car, I've won valuablecollector'sitems and ll athese scammers areaskingfor in return is a simpleshipping fee."THOSE SCAMMERS SOMETIMES ASK FORHUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OFDOLLARS.

USUALL YON GIFTCARDS OR WIRE TRANSFER.

THEPROBLEM IS, THEY'RE NOT RELA.1:27 "And a lot of scammersare outthere kind of mimicking populargrab..

Hey you won Amazonearpods justsend us the shipping, or you'vewon this FBcontest, and one of eth big redflag is did youeven enter that contest." HEREARE A FEW WAYS TO SPOT ASCAM.

TRUE LOTTERIES ANDSWEEPSTAKES DON'T ASK FORMONEY.

IF SOMEONE WANTS MONEYFOR TAXES THEY'RE LIKELYCROOKS.

PLUS - YOU HAVE TOENTER TO WIN.

IF YOU DON'TREMEMBER DOING SO THAT'S A REDFLAG.

CALL THE COMPANYDIRECTLY TO SEE IF YOU WON.

IFYOU'RE TOLD YOU'VE WON ASTATE LOTTERY.

CALL THE STATELOTTERY OFFICE.

AND DO A WEBSEARCH FOR THE COMPANY AND SEEIF THE BBB HAS HAD SIMILARCOMPLAINTS.

LOCAL LAWENFORCEMENT DOESN'TA CLL ANDGIVE OUT PRIZES.

VERIFY THECALLER'S ID.

AND TALK TO YOURFAMILY OR BANK BEFORE GIVING OUTANY MONEY.KATHY HOPES OTHERS LEARN FROMHER FATHER'SSITUATION..

SO IT DOESN'T HAPPENTO THEM.17:37 "If something like thathappens it's so easy withtoday's technology to verify it.So, if you just get their nameand number andsay, 'let me check it out' andlet me getback to you.

And if somebodyrefuses toallow you to do that then youknow it's ascam.KATHY SAYS HER DAD GOT DOZENSOF CALLS DAILY FROM UNKNOWN ANDUNLISTED NUMBERS.HE SENT BUNDLES OF CASH IN THEMAIL TOTALLING 72-THOUSANDDOLLASR. WE HAVE SEVERAL TIPSFROM TEH BBB AS WELL ASRESOURCES FOR IF YOU'RE A SCAMVICTMI.

YOU CAN FIND THEMWITHIN THIS STORY ATFOX17ONLINE.CMO LIVE IN THESTUDIO..

RYAN CUMMINGS.

FOX 17NEWS.IF YOU HAVE AN ISSUE YOU THINKOUR PROBLEM SOLVERS TEAMSHOUDL BE AWARE OF - YOU CANCALL UST A THE NUMBER ON YOURSCREEN...OR SEND AN EMAIL TO "PROBLEMSOLVERS AT FOX 17 ONLINE DOTCOM".