Police on Wednesday received a call from an employee at a banking institution who believed a customer had been a victim of a scam.
Police contacted the victim, who lives in the New Carrollton area. Police said the victim had received a call from a person posing as a Publishers Clearinghouse representative who told her "You have just won 2.5 million dollars and a brand new Mercedes."
The caller told the victim to withdraw $8,000 to cover taxes and fees. The victim then was told to buy Green Dot prepaid cards totaling $8,000 and to provide the activation numbers for each card in order to recieve the winnings, police said.
Police were able to cancel up to $5,500 of the Green Dot cards, and the victim realized she had gotten caught up in a scam. Police are encouraging citizens be aware of scams in which they are told they have just won something.
