Nasty phone scheme turns obscene - KRQE

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The New Mexico Attorney General's office is warning about a new and especially nasty telephone scheme hitting New Mexicans.

At least one man claims to be from UPS and tells people they've won big money and cars. It sounds phoney but when you start asking questions, things could get obscene.

The ploy has been dubbed the "Green Dot Scam" because it uses legitimate re-loadable credit cards to get your money. The credit cards are available all over the place and a lot of people use them.

News 13 first heard about the scam from a viewer in La Plata, New Mexico. She said she received three phone calls from a man saying he was with UPS and had an urgent package for her and needed her address. KRQE News 13 got the number from that viewer and it's based in Jamaica.

The AG says they have been contacted by ten people who have received similar calls. 

The AG contacts UPS to make sure they are aware of it and then the Secret Service because the AG doesn't  have jurisdiction outside the U.S.

When KRQE News 13 called the number, the man on the line said I had won $875,000 and a car and all I needed to do was to go to a local pharmacy, buy a Green Dot card for $500, call him with the numbers off the card and my prize would be sent to me.  When KRQE started asking questions about his location, things got very nasty. He said obscene names and described obscene acts.

The AG says these types of calls often increase during the holidays because people are mailing and receiving lots of packages and urges consumers to be cautious and never give out personal information over the phone.