​Jamaican Lottery Scam

The scams typically start small, with calls informing victims that they won the lottery, a new car or some other sweepstakes. After repeated and ever-more reassuring calls, the scammers convince the victim — often widows or widowers living alone — to send a few hundred dollars to cover taxes or fees to claim their prize.

They then extort more money from the victim, first by befriending them and then eventually with dozens of harassing and threatening calls per day.

The scam artists often seek to ostracize victims from their family and friends.