Crime Watch: Lynbrook, East Rockaway

Phone scam
On March 15 at 5:20 p.m., a complainant reported being a victim of a phone scam. The complainant reported receiving a phone call on March 13 at 11:30 a.m. at their residence from a “Mr. King” of “Winner’s International Corporation,” who stated that they had won a sweepstakes and that the grand prize was $250,000,000. “King” advised them that there was an $800 processing fee for the prize. and told them to respond to Walgreens to purchase “MoneyPak” cards and that he would call back for the numbers from the cards to pay the fee. The complainant purchased the cards and then gave “King” the numbers from the cards. On March 15, “King” called back and stated that the IRS had stopped the sweepstakes payment until a payment of $3,500 was made. The complainant again responded to Walgreens and purchased the “Moneypak” cards and gave the numbers to “King.” The complainant, after speaking with family members, realized that they were a victim of a scam. The total loss is $4,300.