Scammer Claims FBI Agents to Deliver $5M in Lottery Winnings

An 81-year-old Hingham resident fended off a phone scam in which the caller said a lottery prize could be collected if the resident paid $500 in processing fees.

The resident called police about the scam after receiving the call on Friday, Nov. 22, according to an electronic alert from the Hingham Police Department.

"Similar variations of these scams are attempted daily by phone, email or mail," police said. However, because this type of scam appears to be occurring more frequently and to more elderly residents, we are sending this as an additional reminder."

The caller told the resident that he had won $5 million dollars, and that a check would be delivered by two FBI agents, but not before he purchased a money card, loaded it with $500 and gave the caller the pin number to pay for processing.

"The resident told Officers that he recognized it as a scam attempt but he was initially confused because his wife had recently been contacted by a legitimate organization that she had won a prize," police said.

"At first, the resident said he thought the scammer's call was from that legitimate organization. It was not connected at all.

"The scammer called back while the Officer was still at the home. After the Officer identified himself, the scammer yelled several obscenities then hung up. As with many other previously reported scams the caller ID listed as from Jamaica (876-421-2693). Be aware though, a scammer's call could be from anywhere.

"Again, if you receive a similar call, simply hang up or don't answer. Scammers continue to make these calls to a countless number of people everyday because they are successful in stealing money, usually from the elderly."