A “vicious sweepstakes scam” that asks victims to wire money to a foreign country is using the real address of a D.C. government agency to legitimize its crime, District officials warned.
Telemarketers and con artists apparently are dialing potential victims across the country claiming to represent a “national consumer protection agency” or the “Office of Consumer Affairs at 941 North Capitol St. in Washington, D.C.,” according to the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
The address is the current home of the agency and its Office of Consumer Protection. To ensure delivery of their big sweepstakes prize, victims are asked to use a commercial money transfer company, such as Western Union, to wire money to a foreign country. The winnings, of course, don’t exist.
