Lowcountry beware, Make-a Wish sweepstakes scam may cost you thousands of dollars

If you get a call from someone claiming to be a government official telling you that you’ve won a sweepstakes through the Make-a-Wish foundation, don’t believe it. It is a con.

The Federal Trade Commission says that con artists are pretending to be agents of the FTC or other agencies, even false ones that sound real like the “Consumer Protection Agency”. They say they are calling on behalf of the prominent childrens charity and telling people that to claim their supposed winnings they must first hand over thousands of dollars for taxes and insurance fees.

Some calls come from numbers with Washington, D.C.’s 202 area code, where the FTC is located, to make the calls look more official. Anyone who recieves such a call is urged to contact authorities immediately.

The Make-a-Wish Foundation and FTC do not hold sweepstakes competitions.

“This is just a scheme using the well-known names of Make-a-Wish and the FTC to rob thousands of dollars from people,” said FTC Consumer Education Specialist Lisa Lake in a statement released Thursday. “Once you wire money or send banking information, you will never see your money again.”

You can learn more about this scam at the FTC’s website and at wish.org.

This story was originally published July 8, 2017 at 12:06 PM with the headline "Lowcountry beware, Make-a Wish sweepstakes scam may cost you thousands of dollars."