Suburban Police Warn Of Make-A-Wish Scam

SANDWICH, Ill. (STMW) - Police in far southwest suburban Sandwich are warning residents about a scam that uses the Make-A-Wish Foundation's name to make people think they won a big cash prize.

According to police, it's another new twist on an old scam. The victim — usually an elderly person — is called at home and told they've won a Make-A-Wish lottery of more than $1 million. They can claim their prize if they first pay some insurance and paperwork fees.

Police say the reason this has been more successful is because the scammers claim to be from the IRS and are able to make the calls appear as though they are coming from a Washington, D.C., phone number.

A Virginia woman sent more than $300,000 through Western Union to claim her $1.1 million "prize." The polite scammers contacted her every day for more than a month and left messages, police said.

Sandwich police said they have not heard of anyone in Sandwich being directly contacted, but the scam has targeted the region.

Anyone who feels they have been a victim of this scam should call 1-866-DHS-2ICE.

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