Sweepstakes Winner

Wake me up! I think I just had a bad dream…or was it a nightmare?

Yesterday evening my phone rang. A guy named Mr. Dave called to congratulate me and announce my good fortune!

Mr. Dave said that I just won a “Sweepstakes Contest to the tune of 2.5 million dollars that will be paid to me at the rate of $5,000. a month! Plus: I have also won a slick, new Mercedes Benz that is going to be delivered to me at my front door.”

(I think I smell a rat…)

The bearer of good news, Mr. Dave, began to ask me some questions, supposedly for “verification,” such as:

Where do you work?

Do you get a government check?

How is your credit? OK? Acceptable?

I wanted to know why I won a Sweepstakes that I did not enter. He replied,

“Because our contest winners are good, hardworking folks like you who pay their bills. This is for real,” he answered very sincerely.

He asked if I could go to Walgreens and obtain a credit card for $194. I told him that we do not have a Walgreens in La Grange. He said that a Walmart card would be OK. I said I do not drive since I had surgery on my hip. He then wanted to know if I had another credit card. I said “Yes,” but I was not about to give him any information about my credit cards. He said: “I don’t think that will be necessary.” He then wanted to know if I had any cash. He said: “Don’t worry, cash is not necessary either. He was asking about $194. I told him that if I pulled together everything I could scrape up; it would come to less than $4. He laughed and said that he would take care of it for me.

It was 9:30 p.m. or so in the evening. Mr. Dave said he would get some help and call me back in about one hour to give me a secret, private number. He did not call me back last night, but he asked me not to mention to anyone that I am a sweepstakes winner. I told Mr. Dave that I would not make any decisions without talking it over with my son, John. He said OK, but that I should not mention it to anyone else.

This morning at about 10 a.m. Mr. Dave called again. John was here fighting a cold or allergies. I had told John all about the mysterious call yesterday, so I just handed him the phone. John chatted with Mr. Dave a couple of minutes and then John asked:

“When are you delivering the Mercedes?”

After a couple of minutes of conversation with Mr. Dave, John spoke firmly to him:

“I will be here when you deliver it and I will have a great big surprise for you!”

John handed the phone back to me and said: “If he calls again hang up!” Mr. Dave has not called back.

John says that as long as they have you on the phone the con artists continue their lies and heavy pressure. And they are very good at what they do.

For about a minute and a half I was beginning to feel rich and powerful. Oh! Well! Who wants a Mercedes anyway?

NOTE: John told me that I should write this as a warning to my friends at the Record. The best thing to do is hang up and call the Police Department. The con-guys want to steal your money by feeding you a pack of lies.