By By Lisa Tindell
news editor
When a Brewton resident received a phone call last week that she had won cash and prizes in a sweepstakes, she was immediately suspicious instead of excited.
Geoff McGraw, an investigator with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department, said would-be thieves didn’t get the results they were hoping for when they made the call last week.
Chief Deputy Mike Lambert said the woman was certainly smarter than the would-be criminals.
McGraw said the initial phone call was followed by other calls making some of the same claims.
Lambert said the current economy may be part of the reason these kinds of scams are becoming more and more frequent.
Lambert said there are certain things to remember should one of those calls come in to your home.
Lambert said the scams being run by some groups are getting more and more complex to keep up with technology and other current affairs.
Lambert said there are common sense approaches to avoiding getting burned or taken in by these kinds of scams over the phone:
If you receive any calls asking for such information, make a note of the incoming number and contact a law enforcement officer immediately, Lambert said.