Virginia Beach, Va. - A 67-year-old Virginia Beach woman says she never thought she'd fall victim to a scam.
But last month when a man called her saying she won over $5 million dollars in sweepstakes money, she says excitement clouded her brain.
"He keeps telling me I'm your angel, it's a legitimate and something, it's not a scam," she told NewsChannel 3’s Jackie Morlock.
But, there was one catch: "He said but you have to pay for the insurance and you have to pay like 1% to mail it or to send it to you."
Even though she already had nearly $100,000 in savings, she says $5 million would go a whole lot further for her and her family. And, she says that's what made her fall for it.
"I got greedy. I said I can, you know, change my life and help my family."
But now, she says she has nothing left.
“I said, 'Oh my God what did I do?'"
NewsChannel 3 took action and called the 1-800 number for the US Sweepstakes, the company she says that was behind the phone call.
Virginia Beach Police say they're doing their best to investigate, but it's very unlikely the woman will ever see her money again.
In the meantime, that woman says she lost more than just money; she also lost trust in other people.
"I feel guilty, I feel miserable.” She added, “It's hard, but I will recover.”
In February, Virginia Beach Police say they’re holding an educational seminar for seniors to discuss scams like this in more depth.
In the meantime, the state attorney general reminds everyone that legitimate sweepstakes do not require you to pay anything in advance to get your winnings.
Click here for more information about “Sweepstakes/Fake Check scams.”
