Attorney General Warns Of New Scam Targeting Oklahomans

The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office warns others of a new scam targeting Oklahomans.

The AG’s office says imposters claiming to be with the state office are tricking victims into thinking they’ve won a large sum of money. One woman in Poteau was told she won nearly a million dollars, but later realized it was just a ruse to get money out of her.

“Anybody can be vulnerable,” said Lynette from Poteau.

Lynette said her mother is in her 80s and was a target of this latest scam. “I'd gone over to pick her up for a doctor's appointment and she didn't want to leave the home because they had called her and told her that the prize winnings would be delivered that day,” Lynette said. “That didn't happen.”

Lynette said the caller told her mother she won $750,000. Here’s the hook, though, the AG’s office says the caller demands a fee to receive the prize money. “They're very convincing, they're showing her pictures of her home with a check on the front porch telling her that it was stolen,” she said.

Then, the story gets more outrageous. “They had issued a check, the AG's office had authorized it, they were on their way to deliver the check, but they were pulled over by the highway patrol and the check was seized,” Lynette said.

The AG’s office says the fraudulent calls show up on caller ID as “unknown” or from a 918-area code. One report even showed the con artist spoofed the official telephone number of the Attorney General’s Office. “There's probably seven different numbers here that have called her it's just constant, to reiterate that she won, that her prize is coming,” Lynette said.

Lynette says her mom is embarrassed and admits she did give an undisclosed amount of money to the scammer. “She doesn't have a lot, she doesn't have anything really and so what she does have, it would be devastating for her,” she said. 

Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the Attorney General’s office does not distribute monetary winnings and does not demand payment over the phone for any reason. “It is important for Oklahomans to know that the Attorney General’s office exists to protect consumers, not to scam them out of money,” Drummond said. “My office will never contact you to say you’ve won money, and we never demand payment over the phone. I implore Oklahomans to stay vigilant in protecting their personal and financial information from imposters.”

To protect yourself from government phone scams, the Attorney General’s Office released the following advice from the Federal Trade Commission:

1. Don’t wire money or use gift cards, cryptocurrency, or a payment app to pay someone who claims to be with the government. Scammers insist you can only pay using these methods because it’s hard to track that money, and just as hard to get it back. They will take your money and disappear.
2. Don’t give your financial or personal information to someone who calls, texts, emails, or messages you on social media and claims to be with the government. If you think a call or message could be real, stop. Hang up the phone and call that government agency directly at a number you know is correct. If the call is a robocall, don’t press any numbers. Pressing numbers could lead to more calls.
3. Don’t trust your caller ID. Your caller ID might show the government agency’s real phone number or name — like “Social Security Administration.” But caller ID can be faked. It could be anyone calling from anywhere in the world.
4. Don’t click on links in unexpected emails, texts, or social media messages. Scammers send emails and messages that look like they’re from a government agency but are designed to steal your money and personal information. Don’t click on any link, and don’t pass it on to others. Just delete the message.