On Dec. 17 at about 3:30 p.m., Chelsea Police responded to the 1000 block of South Main Street for a report of a possible scam.
The female victim said she had been contacted by someone from the New York Lottery Commission.
The victim stated that she was advised that she had won the New York State Lottery and should send $499 via Western Union for taxes on the winnings.
Hours later, she received a second call from the suspects who advised her that she needed to send $12,500.00 via a cashier’s check to Hawaii, but a bank employee alertly called police.
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Note from the Chelsea PD: These types of incidents have increased over the years across the country.
Residents are asked to be extremely cautious when being solicited over the phone or via the Internet by people asking you to send them money or attempting to gain personal information.
No legitimate company will ask for you to pay money upfront in order to claim a cash prize.
These criminals prey on the elderly and use means such as wiring money via Western Union, MoneyGram, and Greendot Pre-Paid credit cards as a means of receiving the money — primarily because once the money is sent it is extremely hard, if not impossible, to return to its rightful owner.
