'We Aren't Scammers

[Tuff Gong]

'<span style="font-size: 14pt">We Aren't Scammers</span>
<span style="font-style: italic">Published: Tuesday | March 13, 20120 Comments
Adrian Frater, News Editor
Western Bureau:</span>

The recent police crackdown against alleged 'lotto scammers' in Montego Bay, St James has left several young men angry as, according to them, they are being embarrassingly stereotyped by law enforcement.

&quot;These raids should be intelligence-driven; a person should not be targeted because he drives a nice car, albeit living in an inner city area,&quot; said one of three young men who visited The Gleaner's Western Bureau offices in Montego Bay yesterday.

&quot;We had our homes raided last weekend by policemen who kept on intimating that we are scammers,&quot; continued another of the young men, who asked not to be identified.

&quot;I work in the hospitality sector and my two colleagues here are also working... . We are not scammers.&quot;

While the police's raid yielded nothing incriminating at their respective homes, the young men said they were left hurt and embarrassed because their families were treated like criminals in full view of their curious neighbours. In targeted raids in St James last weekend, 22 people were arrested and 16 high-end vehicles, furniture, $800,000 in cash and a quantity of ganja seized in police operations in Lilliput, Orange, Mt Salem and Rose Heights.

[Xavier]

Re: 'We Aren't Scammers

Jamaican lottery scammers were in the news this past weekend here in South Florida as a lady send money to Jamaica based on a phone call she got about winning a large prize.

[Gen]

Re: 'We Aren't Scammers

oh boy. a guess she never see the 10,000 news reports asking consumers not to send money ANYWHERE.

[twiney]

Re: 'We Aren't Scammers

Forgive me for saying this ... you never buy lottery ticket and you win and them have to get money to get you winnings. If you fool enough to send on the money then them should take it from you and the taker shouldn't be subject to prosecution.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: 'We Aren't Scammers

The lottery scam is a serious issue. It is something I don't see discussed often.
What I keep wondering is this.
What has a greater impact on a North American when considering Jamaica?
A. Our high murder rate (which rarely spill over to tourists).
B. Our reputation for illegal drugs?
C. The Lotto-Scam?

A. In my mind Tourist considering crime would have already decided that certain areas of the country they would not bother with. Just like most big cities.

B. As the saying goes drugs is everywhere and a potential visitor to Jamaica who have had any knowledge of drugs don't automatically see Jamaican/Mexican/Colombian Cocaine, they see it as drugs and the attachments is normally to the local dealer.

C. Even if I am wrong on all the above. I think the Lotto-Scam is likely to damage our Tourism Industry more than the any and/or both A. and B..
The Lotto-Scam affect the victim right in his or her country, separates them from a significant amount of cash in a very short time and is often times and is accompanied with personal threats and other forms of harassment.
If the perp is a native Jamaican the victim associates all that negativity with Jamaica and may transfer such feelings to friends and family members.

I think this is something that GOJ have been toying around and not dealing with in any meaningful way. Kingfish that was supposed to be the main unit to tackle such crimes, claimed they had killed it in 2005. Turns out that it has become stronger than ever.

Certainly Ghetto-Profiling these young men and harassing them because of what they drive and how they look is not the way to deal with it. This is no more effective than kicking down zinc fences and shooting 6 or 10 Jamaicans.

[Tuff Gong]

Lotto scammers causing money woes in Maine

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'">Lotto scammers causing money woes in Maine</span>
<span style="font-style: italic">Jamaica Observer
Wednesday, March 28, 2012</span>

A report in the website www.boston.com quotes the FairPoint Communications and Maine law enforcement agencies as saying a telephone scam originating from Jamaica has fleeced elderly residents in northern New England out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The report said today that con artists are calling from a Jamaica area code and telling their victims they have won a Jamaican lottery or a car but need to make a payment to cash in.

Officials say the perpetrators have called some victims hundreds of times to squeeze as much money out of them as possible.

The company and the York County Sheriff's Department have launched a campaign called &quot;Beware: Scams from Area Code 876&quot; with tips to prevent phone scams. The website is: http://www.bewareof876.com/

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Lotto scammers causing money woes in Maine

Stop telling lies on Jamaicans. If thr US can trace the origin of the anonymous hackers find and dismantle more sophisticated scams why would it take them so long to pinpoint the scammers in a small population like jamaica? This is a contrived story similar to tge one contrived a few decades sgo about Haitians being the source of the AIDS disease. All it take is for the Jamaican population to be naive snd accept it without question. Any day the story comes under scrutiny it will fall apart. Only the reputation eill re.sin similar to the Haitian experience regarding AIDS. People in the healthcare field still believe duch drivel. Not as much ss before but they dtill exist.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Lotto scammers causing money woes in Maine

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dr.Dudd</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Stop telling lies on Jamaicans. .... </div></div>
Unfortunately Dr. I have to say it not lies.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Lotto scammers causing money woes in Maine

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'">20 held in Hanover lotto scam raid</span>
<span style="font-style: italic">BY HORACE HINES Sunday Observer reporter
Sunday, April 01, 2012</span>

LUCEA, Hanover — Five women were among 20 persons taken into custody by members of an Area One taskforce policing lotto scam crime during a massive operation in several communities in Hanover yesterday.
Several high-end vehicles were among the items seized by the police during the operation.
According to Superintendent Leon Clunie, five of the 20 persons taken into custody were charged for different crimes, while the other 15 are being questioned in relation to their alleged involvement in the illicit sweepstakes.
Superintendent Clunie described the marathon operation, which started at 6:30 am and lasted for several hours, as being successful.
&quot;From all indication it was a successful operation. We seized five high-end motor vehicles, we arrested about 20 persons of which five were charged with various offences and the other 15 are going through a process of profiling to see the connection with the scamming based upon the connection that we have,&quot; Superintendent Clunie said.
He noted that the illicit sweepstakes, which is rampant in St James, has now spread to communities in the neighbouring parish of Hanover.
But the police, he said, was bent on seizing the gains from the scam.
Last month at the reopening on the Barnett Street Police Station in Montego Bay, St James, Security Minister Peter Bunting noted that the resort city &quot;is fastly gaining the infamy as the hub for the lotto scam&quot;.
He said that while some people are not making the connection with the scammers and the violent crimes occurring every week in the city, 40 per cent of the murders in St James &quot;are related in one way or another to the operation of the lottery scam&quot;.
&quot;And I think it is important for people to make that connection so that there is no tolerance for this kind of activity,&quot; said Bunting. &quot;We are generally way too tolerant of criminal activity in Jamaica and sometimes we don't see the white collar crime as crime at all, we think of it as hustling, but in many cases that white collar crime feeds the violent crime at the street level, one way or another.&quot;

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Lotto scammers causing money woes in Maine

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'">Twin Falls Police Warn of Jamaican Phone Scam</span>
<span style="font-style: italic">Jamaica Observer
Saturday, April 07, 2012</span>

TWIN FALLS, USA - Police in the US city of Twin Falls are warning residents to be wary of the lottery phone scam originating out of Jamaica.

The cops report that victims have reported receiving a call from an 876 area code, out of Jamaica. The caller tells the victim they have been chosen as the winner in a lottery or contest and must send a few thousand dollars in order to claim millions of dollars in winnings.

The scammers are targeting the senior population, police said in a news release.
“Once they have gotten you involved in the scam they will continue to call you and make threats to your family if you don’t send the money,” the news release said.
Police became aware of the scam after getting a call from an elderly woman who had become a victim.

Police warn residents to be wary of anyone calling about a prize or lottery if you haven’t entered a contest.
Once a victim has sent money to a scammer, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to recover the funds, police said.

[Tuff Gong]

Lottery scam will impact Ja’s image — Robinson

Lottery scam will impact Ja’s image — Robinson
<span style="font-style: italic">By PAUL ALLEN Business reporter
[email protected]
Thursday, April 19, 2012
</span>
THE increasing number of lottery scams in Jamaica is &quot;not patty shop business&quot;, Junior Minister in the Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Ministry Julian Robinson has said.

Lottery scams aren't new, Robinson said, but recent media reports have again brought attention to the problem which is estimated to rob people, mostly US citizens, of US$300 million at the lower end. This is a figure that some have said is closer to US$1 billion, given that many cases of lottery scamming go unreported due to shame and fear of being targeted by other scammers.

Robinson was speaking at a press briefing at the ministry this morning.
The minister said an inter-ministerial task force has been formed to address the problem, which is likely to affect the country's tourism product and investment opportunities.

Additionally, legislation is being drafted to target those using information and communication technology to gain &quot;unauthorised access&quot; to people's private information. The legislation will also allow for sanctions to be brought against those found guilty.

[mihmih]

Re: 'We Aren't Scammers

This problem is bigger than the ghetto, if you follow the paper trail.. Police, Immigration Officers, Cambio Operators, and Politicians are also involved. And yes the tourist industy is suffering greatly esp with the economy problem in America. The average scammer in Jamaica lives very good, buying multi billion dollar homes, multi million dollar cars, creating lucrative businesses and employment for communities. It's interesting what the media portrays and what is really happening..

[Stormmey]

Re: 'We Aren't Scammers

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Twiney</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Forgive me for saying this ... you never buy lottery ticket and you win and them have to get money to get you winnings. If you fool enough to send on the money then them should take it from you and the taker shouldn't be subject to prosecution. </div></div>

same so Twiney, still feel sorry for the old people who get taken in by this tho. guess some peeps when they are up there in age their faculties start dull

[Tuff Gong]

Re: 'We Aren't Scammers

<span style="font-weight: bold">Jamaican Lottery Scams Spread Despite Crackdown</span>
<span style="font-style: italic">By DAVID MCFADDEN 04/17/12 12:07 PM E</span>T

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica -- The 88-year-old retired Coast Guard officer hadn't been outside the U.S. in decades. Yet phone calls started pouring in from Jamaica, dangling the prospects of huge winnings from an international lottery that he had won.

There was a catch, of course. He had to send a check to pay the tax on his winnings. He wired the money to Jamaica. Soon he was ensnared in a scam that may cost him his home in an assisted living facility outside Seattle.