Another Wilkes Victim of "Who Won" Scam

Another Wilkes resident has fallen victim to what the Better Business Bureau refers to as one of the oldest scams in the book.  According to the website www.scamwatch.gov the scam works this way---An email, letter or text message from an overseas lottery or sweepstakes company arrives from out of nowhere. It will advise you that you have won a lot of money or fantastic prizes—in a lottery or sweepstakes competition you did not enter. The email, letter or text message you receive about your winnings will ask you to respond quickly or risk missing out. You could also be urged to keep your winnings private or confidential, to ‘maintain security’ or stop other people from getting your ‘prize’ by mistake. You will usually be asked to pay some fees to release your winnings. Scammers will often say these fees are for insurance costs, government taxes, bank fees or courier charges. The scammers make money by continually collecting these ‘fees’ from you and stalling the payment of your 'winnings’. You will lose all the money you pay to the scammers.  Locally, a Wilkesboro resident was contacted by phone by a person claiming that she had won 250,000 dollars and a new Mercedes Benz.  The victim was then asked to send 275 dollars by Western Union in order to claim her prize.  The victim from Wilkes did wire the money and is now out a total of 299 dollars due to this scam.