Rite Aid Warns Customers Of Jamaican Based Phone Scam

Rite Aid is warning consumers of a phone scam that it says is Jamaican based.

The premise is simple. During a phone call, you are informed that you are a winner of a Rite Aid sweepstakes drawing. To claim the jackpot, you are instructed to purchase a Rite Aid "Green Dot" card to pay the taxes on your prize. You will then be asked for the serial number of that card, and the scammers can then use that pre-paid card for their personal use.

The most recent incident seems to have taken place in western Pennsylvania, when an elderly woman was contacted about an $18,000 sweepstakes drawing and instructed to purchase a $500 "Green Dot" card to cover the taxes. Luckily, the woman took her son's advice, and reported the case to authorities.

Rite Aid is investigating, and says that phone calls like the one above have occurred in several states and appear to be Jamaican in origin. No arrests have been made.