Winder woman falls prey to Jamaican lottery scam

The elderly female said she received a phone call from a male advising that she had won $3 million and a brand new car. The man said he would deliver the lottery winnings and the car, but she would need to pay for his travel expenses from Montego Bay, Jamaica.

The woman felt the call was legitimate because she had entered the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes and thought the prize was related to that contest.

The man instructed the woman to wire $70 to him via Western Union.

After the woman wired the money, she received a call a few hours later requesting another $100. The woman, belatedly realizing the caller was a scam artist, contacted police.

While the woman was speaking with police, the man called again. The officer attempted to obtain information from the caller, but the man terminated the call.

Attempts to contact the man at the phone number he provided the victim were unsuccessful.

Other recent incidents investigated by Winder Police include:

• damage to property on East May Street. A man said his vehicle was damaged while parked at a local restaurant.

• no insurance on East Broad. Police towed a 1995 Ford Thunderbird after determining the vehicle was uninsured and not registered. The driver was cited and released.

• theft by taking on South Broad Street. A woman said her Ryobi weedeater was stolen after her son left it behind a tree at Ft. Yargo State Park while on a community service detail.

• damage to property on West May Street. A glass door was reported broken. No items were missing from inside the building.

• criminal trespass on Lakeshore Drive. Several items were disturbed outside a residence. The homeowner also discovered a bent window screen where someone attempted to gain access to the home.

• dispute on South Myrtle Street. A man said his aunt threatened to have his mother arrested if he did not give her a ring which had belonged to his grandfather. The man said he became angry after being yelled at for several minutes and threw the ring at his aunt. The man said his grandfather had left the ring to him in 2005. The ring is valued at $5,000.

• criminal trespass on Circle Drive. A homeowner called police after noticing damage to his carport door. The man suspected someone tried to force the door open using a blunt object.

• harassing communications on Park Avenue. A woman reported that she had been receiving harassing phone calls from two people after telling them to stop calling her. An officer spoke with the two individuals and instructed them not to place any more calls to the woman.

• burglary on Embassy Walk. Several appliances were reported stolen out of unlocked model homes within a subdivision.

• burglary on West May Street. A business owner reported that $800 worth of appliances and other items had been stolen.

• burglary on Scrooch Court. A home was burglarized, but no items were reported missing.

• entering auto on Third Avenue. An unlocked vehicle and camper were entered, but no items were reported missing.

• theft by taking on Regan Drive. An uninstalled light fixture valued at $70 was stolen out of the box in which it had been shipped to the residence.

• no insurance on East Stephens Street. A vehicle which had been involved in an accident was towed after the officer determined the vehicle was uninsured.

• harassing phone calls on Highpointe Drive. A woman said her juvenile granddaughter was being harassed by a former friend.

• stalking on South Myrtle Street. A woman said she was visiting with a friend when her friend’s neighbor walked to the end of the driveway and wrote down her tag number. The neighbor said she is taking down all the tag numbers of the cars that visit the house because she believes the occupants of the home are selling drugs.