Dennise Williams, Staff Reporter
INVESTMENT BANKERS, Dehring Bunting and Golding (DB&G) have become the latest target of an international gang of swindlers.
Kerry Ann Betton, DB&G marketing manager said: "We kept getting calls from overseas so we realised that this thing is very big."
The U.S press already picked up the story of one victim who is weeping over dashed dreams of moving out of the trailer park into a new house with some assistance from DB&G.
SCAM TOMORROW
According to the August 2 edition of the Vermont-based Caledonian Record, "Diane Garfield ... has become a victim of a sweepstakes scam in which she was supposed to have won US$100,000. She was told that she had to claim it before August 15 or lose it."
The information was in a letter from a Craig Stevens, clearing commissioner for SweepStakes Clearing Commission House. Stevens wrote that because of international laws, "Garfield had to pay a fee of US$1,400 to claim her winnings."
So last week, Mrs. Garfield sent the money off to Accra, Ghana (via Western Union), lodged an alleged DB&G cheque to her bank and then went house shopping.
By August 1, the scam was revealed, as Mrs. Garfield could not get the funds.
Here in Jamaica, DB&G has acted quickly to contain any exposure.
NOTICES POSTED
Ms. Betton explained: "We have notified our overseas bankers, Citibank and its fraud unit is investigating the matter. Locally, we have also notified the Financial Services Commis-sion, and we have put a notice on our website encouraging people to call our toll-free U.S. and U.K. numbers. The response has been good and people have sent us copies of letters."
In terms of whether or not DB&G has suffered any loss, Ms. Betton replies: "No, not at all, we have not been affected financially. The cheques are fraudulent and they cannot access any money on our account."
The scammers, who are based in Ghana, prompted DB&G to post a notice on its website outlining the scam.
