Sylvia's Blog

This blog was created in memory of my mother, Sylvia Siegel, who passed away peacefully in her sleep on 8/18/2007. It's intended to serve as a collection point for articles written about her, and for any type of anecdotes that anyone would care to share. So feel free to post entries and share. If you want to be added to the list of contributors, just send me an e-mail and I'll add you to the list. Also in my mom's memory, I will use this as a vehicle to post consumer-oriented information, especially related to telecommunications.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Harassing calls from area code 876 (Jamaica phone scam)

Although this is my mom's blog, I thought it would be appropriate to post a consumer alert here. She might have appreciated whatever small steps I might take to carry on in her footsteps.

Here's the situation: in the past couple of weeks, I've been getting harassing calls from Jamaica (the country) to my cellphone. Needless to say this is disruptive and annoying, since I get several a day.

Here are the numbers I've received calls from (thus far -- I'll update the list as I get more):

(876) 375-9740
(876) 441-3652
(876) 303-5893
(876) 470-0341
(876) 584-4405
(876) 491-9206

These calls are a scam, and the people who are calling are trying
to get you to call them back so you'll incur international phone charges, of which they apparently get a cut. In addition, it may also be a scam to try to get personal information, but having never called them back I am not certain of that. I know others who are also getting these types of calls, and I'm very concerned that people will call the numbers back, because the message they leave is somewhat compelling, and the number, coming from 876, looks like it's a toll-free number. So most people would be tempted to call the number back.

What to do about them? I have an iPhone, which does not allow me to block a number. Apparently other phones, like the Treo, have third-party applications which allow you to block any number. I also use AT&T, which doesn't allow you to block numbers except by buying an extra service for $5/month, which I don't think I should have to pay. AT&T offered to allow me to change my phone number for free, but again, that's not something I want to do or feel I should have to do. So, while the customer service people at AT&T were nice, they were unable to help me. Repeated calls were unable to get them to give me the blocking service for free, although I do know from experience that calling multiple times often gets you to someone who can solve your problem.

I complained to the FCC and TURN, and am waiting to hear back from both. I also wrote to Interpol, and here's what they had to say:



Dear Madam,

Thank you for your e-mail.
INTERPOL offices are unable to deal with such enquiries from members of the public.
In response to your request we would advise you to contact your local police
authorities directly, who will be able to assess the circumstances and will know how
to access the appropriate INTERPOL channels if required.

Regards,

Press Office
INTERPOL


Not much help. I've written to my local PD, and we'll see where that goes from here.

If any of you out there have run into this problem and figured out how to solve it, please let me know!

102 comments:

Unknown said...

I have also been getting these calls from Jamaica, it is a scam. They are telling you, "you've won a $1.5 million dollar Walmart sweepstakes however you need to send $500 via Western Union to some guy in Montego Bay, Jamaica for taxes." LOL. And they give you a address..ridiculous.
I've told them straight up, "leave me alone, I know it's a a scam, i won't give you money." They keep on calling. I've been cussed at had to cuss a few of them!
Right now at 10:30 on a Wednesday night, they just called me.

Anonymous said...

They have upped the ante to 5 million dollars now and I have received the calls at 4am. This version has Mr. Tony saying that Bank of America is going to deliver a package (the 5 million)to my home via UPS tomorrow. I just need to go to Walmart and have Western Union send some money to Mr. Smith. As soon as I get my reciept, he will ok the package delivery. He is very persistent. The number on this one is 876-286-9143.

Anonymous said...

I have been receiving 1 to 3
calls per week from a number in Jamaica. They tell me that my
mother who is deceased has a
package waiting for her authorization so it can be shipped.
I told them to stop calling or I
would report them to the Authorities, he told me and I
quote " Go ahead the U.S. Authorities can't do anything about
it." He is very rude and persistent. The number on this one
is: 876-877-1343. P.S. I asked him
how a deceased person could claim a
package, he hung up.

Anonymous said...

My 15 year old daughter was home sick and answered the phone from someone looking for me from Jamaica. When she told I was not available he began asking her who was watching her and what was she sick from etc. he aked her if he could find out any information on her she told she could not talk to him because I was not available. I believe it was a scam to get money because although she had a hard time understanding him she did near him say something about cheaper than retail. The phone number is 876-589-4300. I tried calling my local Verizon to find out if they could tell me where the number was coming from in Jamaica but they told me they couldn't and did not know how I could get information. I just though I would let everyone know.

rita said...

I started getting these calls yesterday. A man said he was from UPS and I need to pay $399 through a wire transfer from walmart or western union. He told me I entered the contest from paying with a credit card at walmart. I told him I would have to verify this "sweepstakes" with a walmart supervisor. He gave me an 876 number to call and said it was toll-free. I went to look it up online and found a list of walmarts in my area. I called the number and caught him in a lie when I asked him to give me the address and the number of his store. I got four calls that day and three today.

Anonymous said...

I just received the same type of call from Jamica, the number this time was 876-505-2798.

Para2 said...

I got a call at 0645 from a foreign national telling me I won 10 million. Couldn't talk, was going to work. They'll call back.....Oh goodie! The number was 876-471-2391. Knew it was a scam.

Anonymous said...

Just got a call from 876-291-7175 trying to say I won 4 million dollars I hung up. Then got a phone call 30 mins later from a private caller and it was the same moron, told him highly unlikely and hung up. Haven't seen this number on here yet so wanted to post it.

Anonymous said...

I have received numerous calls over the past 3 days from 876-305-7169 and 876-496-7433. My baby sitter took the first call and asked to take a message and they claimed to have a package for me. Since then I have received many more calls but I haven't picked up or returned them since I immediately suspected a scam. I thought they'd be after my info but didn't actually suspect the international calling charge. Thanks for bringing attention to this scam!
P.S. My baby sitter was also asked her several questions as to where I was and who she was.

Anonymous said...

My mother is eagerly awaiting the UPS man who is going to bring her the 2.5 million dollars she won! Her Jamaican call came from
876-557-3763. This "Agent Scott" said she was to go to western union by 11-11-08 and purchase a gold stamp from Western Union which she should give to the UPS man when he comes to her house at 11:35 AM. "Agent Scott" also made sure to tell her to dress nice because he was also coming to take pictures of the prize being awarded. The scam agent also said he was boarding the companies private plane to fly here to present her prize. The FBI was even going to be with him for her protection. He told her not to tell anyone about the winnings or they would bug her to share her winnings!WOW sounds great, I hope mom shares her winnings with her loving daughter!!!!!

Anonymous said...

My mother has been receiving tons of calls from Jamaica. They are extreamely rude and start calling at five in the morning. Today I answered the phone and told them to stop harrassing my mother and he responded with " you get off of the phone and put your mother back on". You can only imagine what comment I responed with. Maybe involving the news media could help. These people are relentless and crazy.

Anonymous said...

I received a call once yesterday and today stating I needed to call this number about my account. I called it today and the guy said his name was FBI Agent Monte Clare and that I was involved in a fraud case. I told him it is felony to imatate a federal agent and hung up. Phone number 1-876-896-9231.

Anonymous said...

i received a call from a 876-359-2678 but the scary part is that they already had my wife's name and address. He did mention it being a scam so there's no hiding it and he went further more in telling me f*u and other pointless insults w/ no objective in calling other than to upset you. But again the point of concern here is that he already HAD MY WIFE'S NAME AND ADDRESS

Anonymous said...

We've been receiving these calls for the last 6 months in various forms: one says we've one $25 million, another says they have a certified check for $300,000 and we just have to send $300 to claim. We've hung up, declined, blown a whistle in the phone, told them we've reported them to the Attorney General and they STILL keep calling. Why would anyone keep calling a # where people tell them they know it is a scam? Bizarre and crazy and irritating as heck.

Anonymous said...

I too have just started to get these calls. The number on my phone is 876-388-1609. I live in Mi and right now our economy and state are in a world of hurt. The man said I won 1.5 million and a new yellow Hummer. I asked where I entered the contest an he said Walmart. The problem with that is i have never shopped at Walmart ( I like Target). I scolded him for shamelessly conning people who are really hurting right now. He actually thought I would wire 2 grand to Montego to a Lilley Turner. I told him not to call back. This morning just got a call from him (in voice mail) asking when I was wiring the money. He also told me they were out of Las Vegas at the Resort Hotel. There is no such place. This is just nuts. He can barely speak English and you can hear kids in the background. Do these people really think we are this stupid?!nI called Verizon and there is nothing they can do. No one has time for this. As I writing this he just called me again!

Anonymous said...

Got a call too on 11/24/08 from 876-871-1912 They told me they wanted to ship me a package which had 2.5 million dollars in it. All I had to do was pay $800 for insurance up front. Not sure how they got my cell phone number because they had my street address too. That is scary. I don't give my cell phone out to many people because it is a work cell phone. Watch out for these people. They are rude and do not care what you tell them.

Unknown said...

too have received these calls. The most recent one, on Thanksgiving morning, woke me at 9:30. The number calling was 876-453-2929.

Anonymous said...

same here. ı just got 2 but they were mıssed calls and ı was confused so ı searched the area code onlıne and ı ended up here. ı got calls from 876 476 0785 so ı assume thıs ıs what ıt ıs....
and by the way....ım from ıreland so they are really doıng thıs on an ınternatıonal scale!!

Anonymous said...

I had a similar thing happen to me today. I got a call from some guy saying a won a sweepstakes from readers digest and he needed my address information to send me my winnings. I said "that's great (knowing something was up)but how did you get my cell phone number? if you have my cell phone number you should already have my address" at this point he kind of avoided answering the question.So of course I was getting a bit mad. After a few minutes of me badgering him about how he got my cell phone he gave me a number to call his manager. Which was of course a 876 area code. Not knowing about this scam until now I called it back from my work (hopefully the bill won't be to bad)and talked to some guy named Marcelle for a couple minutes about how he got me cell phone number. Which of course he said the readers digest BS as the first guy did. Then it all clicked, I got a call from my friend in Jamaica saying that someone stole her cell phone a few days prior to this call. It all makes sense now.

Anonymous said...

I had these calls traced through the phone company after they threatened to have me killed when I told them not to call again.

I filed a police report and everything. Calls continued without fail. Funny how with all the technology out there to nab local people doing bad things on their computers, the cops don't have the means to stop these scams and threats. Probably because they know they'll never get a collar and the revenue that comes with it.

Anonymous said...

This is such a bad racket!! My poor Mother who is elderly & a widow & has missed my Dad so much that she believed these coniving people!! She had a 171.00 phone bill by calling them. She is now 900.00+ overdrawn at the bank. She has been wiring these cons money anywhere from 150.00 to 350.00 frequently & she would be left with 10.00 in her account to live on!!! We just found out about it this past weekend. After finding all the Western Union Wire receipts at her house. She has sworn that they are bringing her 2 million dollars at the first of the year!!! She didn't have any money for Christmas & they told her they would wire her 100.00 into her bank account (& yes she gave them her account number!!!!) for her to buy Christmas presents! We have froze her account & changed her phone number to unlisted & private today. Bless her heart she still thinks these people were her friends! Atleast she took good notes even though she has a form of dementia! I have names & phone numbers & yes they are all 876 numbers & the wires went to Montego Bay Jamaica!!! If I could get my hands on them they would be sorry! She has been scammed for several thousand dollars & my Mom only lives off SS! One man told her he was with the FBI & if she didn't send it to the correct address he would put her in jail!!!! PLEASE!!!! This is such a shame. What has happened to this world? It makes me sick!!!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I just got a call from someone in Jamaica. A few years back, my mom and I went with a group from my church to Jamaica so when I saw that I assumed it was someone we met over there trying to contact us. He asked for my mom by name but she was at church. He said we sent a lot of money to Jamaica and that we shouldn't because it's a very bad place but we should save all our receipts because there's a package being sent to us through Texas...he gave me an identification code and everything. After a while I figured out what was going on and told him I had to go, but this is dumb. This was the first time this has happened, but I really hope they don't keep calling. They called twice before I answered. The number was (876) 471-2956. I googled it and it says it's coming from Kingston.

Anonymous said...

My grandmother has been getting calls from Jamaicans for about a month now, and she finally told us. The scam: you won 2.5 mil, 250k of which will be delivered to you today. They are already in your area with the money!! You have to go to western union and send $375 to a banker named Rene Cameron in St. James, Jamaica W.I.(winnings international). She will use this money to open the account that your 2.5 mil will be transferred to on monday. The courier bringing the intial 250k in cash will use the receipt from western union to verify your identity when he arrives. I contacted the FBI. This is unreal.

Anonymous said...

We recently found out my grandmother has been receiving these calls and has sent them thousands of dollars over the last month, although it could be more, as we don't know how long it's been going on. She believes the situation is real, that these people are going to bring her a million-collar check to her house, even after a policeman came to her house and explained it was a scam, after repeated phone calls from several worried family members who have reported it to the FBI, even after an in-person visit from her grandson, who had to wrestle the phone away from her as he intercepted a call.

My mother has power of attorney, and we moved her money into a separate account she cannot get to, and my mother is managing that. We also changed her number, but she called the criminals today, asking when they were going to bring her check, and now they have the new number, even though it was supposed to show up as unlisted.

We're not sure what to do. Does anyone have any advice on legal recourse here, or a way to stop this from happening? We don't know what to do short of moving her across the state to live with us.

Jane

Anonymous said...

I received a call this AM from a Mr. Tony 876-476-6448 telling me I had won $800,000 & would have to send them $200. as a "credit receipt" & Mr. Wayon Pinnock will deliver the money this afternoon. Am going to my local police soon, but doubt they can do anything.

Anonymous said...

Warning to everyone use your common sense. Never ever entertain calls from these scammers of Jamaica. they are all piece of shits trying to fool people that they won in the lottery. I've received tons of call today and yesterday from these scammers but i've known them right away and responded to the guy it is not going to work I cannot give you my money. The phone numbers were 876-577-7403/876-893-3581.

Anonymous said...

I received a phone call from a man with a very thick, heavy accent I would describe as "Jamaican" (almost thick though to sound fake) who could not pronounce my name and kept insisting on knowing if he was right. He changed his name several times after first saying he was from the police and asking if I was expecting a delivery. I asked what police department he was with and he would not say, finally saying his badge was 1102. He kept asking if I was such-and-such, then said he was from Goodwill International when I pressed again on why he was calling. I asked what his phone number was and he gave 1 (876) 285-7517. He said he was "Phillip Brown" and then hung up. I looked that up on the internet and it is a scam artist number which bills over $10 an hour when called back. Clearly, that is what he was hoping I would do. I reported him to the FBI fraud tipline, attorney general, local press, and consumer protection.

Anonymous said...

today i received a call from 876-431-5714 , they just said that for me to call him, i did not bother by answering the phone i let the answering machine answer it.

Anonymous said...

OMG!!!NIGHTMARE!!!..Just read all of those posts. Here's my story: the calls started about a month ago but I caught on pretty quick; they said I won 3 million and a brand new mercedes!!(lucky me!) The Jamaican guy Mark Peter said that in order to get the winnings, I had to pay for the "shipping insurance" $1600 (LOL). I told him this was obviously a scam and he BLEW HIS TOP! I hung up and he called back several times but I did not answer. I didn't get any more calls until tonight. This time I was gonna try to get info from THEM. I played along all excited and asked for his name and where to send the money to...all gung-ho like. But he got suspicious and gave me the run around about the address. I ended up telling him I was playing with him and that I knew it was a scam and he hung up! he called back a second later telling me he was gonna put a bullet in my head tomorrow because he knew my address!!! I said OK,OK just to shut him up and "agreed" to send him the money...can you believe that? what can we do about this? oh, here's the number he called from 876-438-0784 but he told me to call 876-299-9048 tomorrow and talk to Alecia Birthwright for the western union info...

Anonymous said...

My mother-in-law has been getting phone calls from 876-885-4052 (Jamaica) telling her that she has won $1M plus a new Mercedes. My sister-in-law has intercepted the calls and told them to stop calling. Today my husband talked to them and when he called them out about this being a scam, the response he cal was F*** your mother. I expect they will call back again.

Anonymous said...

I received one of these calls they said they were from Global Publishers Sweepstakes
Phone # 1-876-441-7072...they left a message on my machine to call them because I won $5 million dollars...when it is too good to be true it usually is...I am a security officer and find these phone calls offensive & hurtful to seniors and other trusting souls

Anonymous said...

My husband's grandmother has been getting calls from 876-293-8191. The guy, Mr. Richie, tells her to send him $150.00 for fees and other stuff. In return he will send her 2.5 million of unclaimed tax money. He even told her the plane was on the way and asked if she could hear it taking off. She told him that she was calling the BBB, but he was not worried. They even gave her a web site to look up (turns out it was a real company that sells DSL, www.goldrush.com). I called the company and left a message about the scam. Still waiting to hear how that goes.

Anonymous said...

8765961585
This guy is a complete idiot. He talks real slow and has a package to deliver to my house. I tried to see if he actually knew my address. He put me on hold ten times, but never could tell me my address, which made feel a little better. Finally i just cursed him off, pretty bad. I know that will probably encourage him to call back, but at this point he keeps calling back anyway, so i might as well enjoy telling him off.

Anonymous said...

march 03,2009
i just received about the 100th call since nov 2008 ive told them no one lives here by that name a the man said f--- u and hung up iwas tired telling them i knew it was a scam so that was why i finally told them no one lived here by that name

Anonymous said...

i for got to tell u the # is 876-506-8177

Anonymous said...

I just received a call today saying they were from FedEx, I reported it to Fedex, it is very annoying ph# 876 399 0509.

Anonymous said...

Here's another number; 1-876-370-7206

Anonymous said...

I came across your blog entry on scams, because my 82 year old father was a victim of the same. My brother caught wind of it and tried stopping it, but since our father lived alone, he continued without my brother's knowledge.

Dad is currently in a rehab hospital after having a stroke. He will be unable to return home. I am living and working in Hungary, so I am not much help to my brother. Strangely enough, I had been sending our father a check each month to cover his expenses. I guess it all went to Jamaica.

Anonymous said...

I have received about 10 calls over the past week. They are from various numbers and all with an 876 area code. I have been told to not put my husband on the phone, they only want to talk to me and the FBI and a Federal Marshal were showing up on my doorstep with my winnings. They wanted me to wire, through Western Union, $2500. I would be getting 4.5 million (US) dollars and a convertible BMW. As soon as I hang up, they call back. I have cussed them out, hung up on them and told them I have spoken to the police - twice. One caller told me, in very broken English, that he was an FBI agent, this wasn't a scam, he gave me a fake badge number and told me to hurry up with the funds, so I could turn into a 'happy woman'. The calls keep coming.
The police did inform me that the calls were from Jamaica and it was a scam to get me to call them back or wire them funds. I cannot block a whole area code, only specific numbers. The best advice the police could give me, was just don't answer the phone...

Anonymous said...

Add a new number to the list 876-557-3209. These folks have been calling me off and on for over 3 years. They are rude and now the last one, who is learning disabled, told me he was Donald Trump and wanted me to send him money for something. That should be enough to get AT&T off their duff when the scammers are impersonating real people. Have no idea how they got my number but they ask for one of my neighbors. I have screamed, cussed and hung up on them for 3 fraking years and they still call.

D>M said...

we have been receiving harrassing calls for 6 months my 76 yr. old mother that is.They have scammed 5or6 thousand dollars from her which drives me crazy.I have tried to stop these idiots,they have threatened to kill me and kill my brother when we got on the phone and would not let them talk to mom.they said very rude and indecent things to my brothers step daughter who is 15.We threatened to turn them in and they said there is nothing anyone can do about it and they have people all over america and they can get to us or my mom at any time.Of course we said dont sing it just bring it.We havent seen anything of them but they still call 20 times a day.I dont really know what else to do ,noone seems to have any answers.We are country boys so we dont scare easy but we cant be around all the time,kinda worried about mom.If anyone has any suggestion we welcome them,Please help at the end of my rope,wish they were someone i could just deal with man to man ,but doesnt seem like they work that way.email@ melbyetribe5@yahoo.com or post here I will take alook from time to time.peace D>M

Anonymous said...

I just received my first scam call yesterday on my cell phone saying I won 6.5 million. I could barely understand him when he spoke so I hung up. No caller ID and the source said 'UNKNOWN'.

Today, I received another call saying I won 4.5 million. Caller ID 'UNKNOWN'. I asked for his name and number and he said David Burnesp at 876-571-8572. He wanted $250 in a Moneygram to an address in Montego Bay, Jamaica to cover the accounting and shipping fees. I made believe I was interested and asked if he could deduct the fees from the winnings and send me the rest. He said no. I asked if I could send the money to an address in the US. He said no. I told him I would call him back but I didn't call. He called me back 30 minutes later and I just laughed and asked him if he thinks I am really going to send money outside of the US to someone I don't know. Let's see how long this lasts.

Anonymous said...

I have received a call, once a day for three straight days, and today I finally answered it. The call was from some male with broken English going on about how I have won a Mercedes and he just needs my identification and payment information to verify that it is really me. He knew I was in Arizona, but my area code is an Arizona one so I figured that is how he knew. Either way, when I told him that I declined the prizes, cannot remember the other, and told him to not call me. He became frustrated and proceeded to ask 'if I was stupid' over and over again. Eventually I got fed up and told him that if he was truly real, and the offers were real, than his manager [whom he had apparently gotten my number from because he was just some delivery guy waiting to drop off my car] could call me back and verify all of the information that they had. When I kept repeating that, he became more and more frustrated. He even went on to say that his company was verified by the Bureau of Better Business; which I am sure is not true. Due to his badly broken English I am unable to recall what the so-called company name was or I would list here. This is the number that he called from: 876-386-7878. I shall be contacting Verizon and having it blocked at once.

Anonymous said...

876-590-5295 hangs up no message, Cell Phone JM. Area code 876 is the local telephone area code of Jamaica. Obviously a big scam if you'd answer you get a reverse phone charge on your BILL?

Anonymous said...

8765972446 I believe this is one of those numbers its really anoying!!! Tje guy actually sounded like a family member.

Anonymous said...

and here we are in October 2013 and my 83 uear old mother os still getting harassed daily. At&t won't help. Sheriff cant help. what a ridiculous joke.

JeZaBoRoh said...

You can add the # 876-252-2680 to the list of numbers from Jamaica. I knew it was a scam the moment they told me I won something and then couldn't tell me what my name was. I hung up and then called them back out of curiosity. At that point the man started threatening my life and telling me that they were currently in my state and they were coming to my door to kill me and my family. They said they'd kill my daughter and husband. I don't have a daughter and I lied and said I didn't have a husband either and that he was full of shit. I kept him talking for 10 minutes while he revealed through his vulgar threats that there were 3 of them involved in the phone call. I thanked him for staying on the line long enough for the police to trace the call and asked him if he knew that he'd randomly called the Chief of Police's daughter or if he was just that stupid. Afterwards I filed a police report.

Anonymous said...

We get call every day from Jamaica 876-821-1337. He always say go to Walmart and get a Blue Dot Card and give to the person that delivers your large prize money. This is as bad as the Nigerian scams and people are loosing millions in the United States. There must be a way to block these calls. Jamaican authorities must help US authorities to combat these scams.

Anonymous said...

my mom is getting calls from jamica as well and its been a few years since anyone has posted a number on here. the numbers on her caller id are all from 876 area code.....489-9889, 471-5725, 373-4938! not sure if she ever answered the calls, I just saw on id. also had a call from Attleboro, ma and number is 508-455-4414. she has been scammed in the past, a cpl times, hoping she learned her lesson but wanted to post these numbers for others just in case!

Anonymous said...

THEY KEEP CALLING ME AND TELLING ME I WON MONEY , THAT IS BS LOL, AND I TOLD THEM THAT IF THE CALL MY PHONE AGAIN , I WOULD CALL THE POLICE HE TOLD ME SO WHAT , SO EVERY TIME THEY CALL I BLOW A LOUD HORN LOL , THEY HAVE NOT CALLED BACK .

Unknown said...

I have had the same calls, 876,how ever its, a man claiming to be from MICROSOFT,and was by my PC. I said, why? He said we detected a virus, on your computor, and we will help you get it off, before it damages your hard drive. ok, fine and dandy.i had a gut felling that this didnt sound right. so before proceeded to go to my microsoft acct. i said, "You said this is free"? Yes mam he said. ok lets do it. Then he said i need your card number to pay for a samll fre"? I said what fee"? Well after the pc is fixed, we charge a small fee to cove our time spent. Ok what will that fee be. Oh dont worry, he said, it wont be charged, till you say the virus is fixed. Ok how much please.Oh dont worry, we need info now to get virus fixed so it doesnt harm your pc. finally after much coxaint he said $250.00. i started laughing and hung up. That how ever wasnt the end of it, i recieved calls for 2 months. with the sam gigg.

Anonymous said...

I was called today by (876) 378-1630 telling me that I won the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes. I informed him "that by law I was now recording the phone call." That shut him up real fast! I told him "to state his name and reason for the call." At that time, he promptly hung up! Love it!!

Anonymous said...

My husband has received many of these calls also. The person on the other end says he is from the Publishers Clearinghouse and he won all the different things. Then asks for a bank account number for the taxes to be taken out for his winnings. My husband made all kinds of rude comments and cursed at him. Then very next day the person called again and my husband repeated the things he supposedly won before the caller could say anything and told him to not call again. He hit the redial on our phone to find out it was a scam that cost us almost $10.00 for international calls. The numbers we received these on were 876-457-2084, 876-405-0673, 876-503-2215. Honestly, what good it the Don Not Call Registry if we still get call like this!

Anonymous said...

I to received one of these ridiculous calls today from Jamaica. He said I have won $850,000. from the clearing house sweepstakes. All the cameras would be here to take film of the event. I said I believe this is a scam, because publishers clearing would not be calling to let me know ahead of time. I hung up. The phone number was 876-297-5088.

Unknown said...

I just got a call at around 7pm to my cell from some guy claiming to work for ups and having a package for me. Hes absolute terrible scam artist:
he claimed he had a package for me but didnt have my full address or my name nor did the package have the full address of the sender. ON TOP OF THAT he couldnt tell me the type of material in the box and the caller ID didnt even say UPS on it, just that it was from Jamaica. Oh and there was a lot of chatter (banter) going on the background. I think Im more offended that he thought I would be so stupid as to give him all my information. The number was:
(876) 306-6098
be safe

Anonymous said...

Calls from Jamaica 876-356-8867 are active today 11/21/13. Yesterday got 3 calls from same number and day before from same area code. Have called FBI who referred me to FTC, they have the numbers. Also will get one from an area code in NJ. These are sick a-holes, if you ask me! Total waste of my time!

Anonymous said...

get many scam calls, this latest one is the Walmart one from 876-277-5453. T-Mobile automatically tracks and blocks them, but then they use another number. I just hang up on them and delete any voice mails.

Unknown said...

I got a similar one.. he was very good and convincing at times. Caller claims to be a "Michael Schumer" calling on behalf of Visa and Mastercards Rewards Programs. Said I won a million dollars from a drawing which will be mailed to me, $5000.00 a week for life starting tonight, and a new BMW X5 2014 (Sidonite black) which will be delivered tomorrow between 3-5pm (never asked me for an address or confirmed address). All I have to do is promise to be there since managers and tax lawyers and such were going to be ther, provide 2 forms of photo ID (warned me not to give anyone my SSN) to prove who I am, and a Claims Card (Green Dot - Money Pak) associated with my account. The only thing I have to do is go to Wal-Mart, Wal-greens, K-Mart, etc, and buy a Money Pak card for $4. Activate and Maintain the card with a balance of $300.00. Once that is done he will assign the card to my account and they will add the $5000 every week starting tonight but to keep the card active I have to make sure I always have $300.00 loaded on the card. He Insisted I go to Wal-Mart now and get this done so I can start getting the $5000.00 tonight. Warned me to not mention to anyone what I was doing as I dont want to draw attention to myself winning all these prizes.

He said I am the only winner in Oklahoma. I "Googled" the area code he called me from and saw it was from Jamaica but when I asked where he was from he said he was from Green Bay Wisconsin (somehow he knew I am a Packers fan) and he went on to say he was a huge Packers fan and asked if I was familiar with them but eventually admitted he doesn't know anything about them, just watches the games.

He insisted he stay on the phone with me while I go to Wal-Mart so I entertained the idea and went. I asked how I'm secure from him taking the $300.00 off my card (if I get it) since he will know the card number to add the $5000.00 on. He assured me there would be a security code on the card that only I would know and was never to give him. I was having trouble finding a Money Pak card so I told him I would call him back.

When I finally found the card and called him back. He answered "Hello". I didn't get to a call center recording or anything first and he did not answer with his name and association. Odd. I told him there is no security codes on these cards and how I was supposed to be protected, but he assured me I have nothing to worry about because its not logical for him to risk his job over stealing $300.00 and that I just need to give them 100% of my trust and they will give me all this stuff. I also pointed out to him that the Money Pak card only allows $1000.00, how is he going to add $5000.00??! He again assured me it would work. I told him I would pass on these winnings for now.

Anonymous said...

Got a Call at 830 am my time from 8767831225 they said they where bringing me a check for 250K from publishers clearing house . Told them I would not be there .Could hear person in background giving instructions to call 18765867899 and ask for Mr Jim Horn . Looked up the call an then found all these scams from jamica . So I did not call .

hd4ms said...

Dec. 26, 2013. The scams have hit an all time high. The number is staggering. Crime and violence is on the rise in JAMAICA. WARNING: Tourists, honeymooners, etc. should not go to Jamaica at this time.

Louise said...

Apparently, this has been going on for six years, and no one has been able to stop it. They call us, constantly, even in the middle of the night. We have blocked as many numbers as our phone will allow us to. They even call from "local numbers" to throw you off. They have threatened me, that I wouldn't wake up, that my leg would be broken, etc. I reported them to the police (as many others have done), gave them the local number that they called from, the number they told me to call back, etc. The police can't do anything. It appears from numerous comments I have read on line that nobody can. It, also, appears that they target older people. It's been said they get the information from Publisher Clearing House entries (which my husband keeps entering... another ripoff seniors should be warned about). If anyone knows how to put a stop to this, I'd like to hear about it. At one time, I disguised my voice and stated that the number was no longer in service. That stopped them for about a week, then they called when we weren't home & got our voice mail again. The calls started back up.

Tia H. said...

****WARNING**** There is a man that is using several different cell phones from area code 876 to scam folks out of their money and harass others. DO NOT ANSWER ANY CALLS FROM AREA CODE 876 AND DO NOT CALL THEM BACK OUT OF CURIOUSITY. THIS INDIVIDUAL IS TRUELY A NUT!!! He may call numerous times per day for several weeks but, will stop if he doesn't hear your voice on your voicemail and doesn't receive a response from you. He seems to get his jollies from hearing a voice even if he can not scam you for money. This man is calling from Jamaica. I contacted the local police department and also reported this issue to the FBI. No one could help... I discovered the website
Youmail.com downloaded the free app, used it and no longer get calls from that nut. After downloading the app, use the greeting "this phone is out of service". It certainly worked! I guess even a nut can understand the words " out of service"! The app allows you to ditch all unwanted calls and assign a message to each one. Youmail.com has helped me to remain sane. I had to deal with this nut for approximately 1 year... I am a Christian, but I almost forgot that... I was ready to take a plane to Jamaica and locate that NUT....
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND NEVER ANDWERING ANY UNKNOWN OR PRIVATE NUMBERS. IMMEDIATELY PLACE THEM ON YOUR CALLS BLACKLIST. THERE ARE TOO MANY SCAMS OUT THERE. If the company is legitimate, they can reach you by mail. After all, if they have your phone number they should have your address... but, keep in mind that scams come in the mail too... ONCE AGAIN.... Youmail.com

Tia H. said...

There is a man in Jamaica using numerous cell phones to tell folks that they have won a lot of money. THIS IS A SCAM!!! This man is relentless and he will continue to call even if you confront him. He is truly a Nutt and seems to get pleasure out of hearing a voice on the other end of the phone. My advice:
CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE Youmail.com and BLOCK ALL CALLS FROM THE AREA CODE 876. IN FACT, BLOCK ALL UNKNOWN and PRIVATE CALLS USING THIS APP. Why respond to a caller that refuses to identify himself??? Once again, CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE: YOUMAIL.COM TO STOP THIS NUT FROM IRRITATING YOU.

Anonymous said...

I've been getting these calls for about 6 months +-. Although I've tried every trick in the book, I cannot convince these idiots to stop calling me. I've learned to just let their calls go to voice-mail and promptly delete them as I get to them. What used to be a great feature of call forwarding has now prompted me to discontinue its use for now.

Anonymous said...

these people keep calling my 88 yr old father and even made a death threat to me when i yelled at them.reported it to the police and at&t and neither of them did a thing about it but take a report.a detective left a message for me to call him.i called 3 times and he never returned my calls.all we can do is not answer if we dont know the number or if they re hidin their number.if youre in aurora illinois dont rely on the police or at&t.

MSQueen said...

We just got a call from (876)493-6708! We do not know anyone in Jamaica so I did not answer! The caller did not leave a message on our voicemail! I assumed it was garbage!

Anonymous said...

I received a phone call today from Kingston Jamaica. The person calling would barely allow me to talk, except to say did I receive my check from "the UPS" yet. The phone number used today was 876-453-8563. I really tried to spend the time on the phone saying we do not get mail or UPS packages because our office was in a foreign country. He tried to talk over me at all times until I hung up the phone. This is not the first time he called, and probably won't be the last.

eddie said...

I have also receved a call from 876 524 8675 from Jm Kingston from Jamaica he lives in Forrest park Longitude -76.792009000000 latitude 17.992731000000 When I called hem back he cussed me out for calling hem in stead of the number he wanted to call

Unknown said...

Hey I just won $885000.00 and a new BMW. All they wanted me to do was pay the $299.99 taxes. the number I was called from was 876-482-5319 and the guys name was David Kennedy. I like to fool with them, I asked what kind of options came on the car, if I could get it with nice rims. I kept him on the phone for 25 minutes before I said the only way I could pay him was with an EBT card. Bahhh haa

Eoin said...

we just got two back to back calls. one from 866.725.2769 and the other from 876.871.7482. Seeing the call came from jamaica, we didn't answer since we have never met anyone from there (like nigeria) who is not a crook. A quick search on bing and shazam! a scam from jamaica.

Jesse Corina said...

Well I guess this is still going on after 6 years. A family member got a call from 876 420-9356

She didn't answer it. WISE.

Anonymous said...

I am a very young adult and the past couple months have been numerous calls from 8768857337, and 8765933880 which both hang up quickly after I tell them I am going to report to the police except for a couple days ago 8768400638 called telling me I was his friend and started flirting with me after I told him about the police I instantly hung up. I am smart and I never give away information as nobody should but I need to get this to stop because it's scary there's a website I believe you can list your number on to stop receiving telemarketer calls at FTC.gov - stay strong don't let them get to you!!!

Anonymous said...

They called 13March2014. I told the man to stop calling to which he replied "you'll be arrested and placed in jail for 21 years"..........then he stated "you'll be picked up at 5PM this afternoon".

Such a joker. They're so mentally challenged, so mentally unbalanced, they actually revert to violent talk after just "offering" an alleged lottery winnings.

How can they offer a prize in one breath and in the next be threatening you?

We've blocked about 90% of the USA calls via using Call Block with AT&T. It definitely stops these calls.

AND if all else fails there's the "do not disturb" option on AT&T by just clicking the "on" tab when you're tired of the calls.

Click the "off" tab when you want to turn on the phone again. It gives the caller a busy signal when it's on.

Anonymous said...

2 days now i have been reciving unknown calls, restricted calls, and calls from 876-284-7725. i have won 25million dollars, 500,000 in cash in a breifcase that only i will know the combo to, and a mercedes benz 350 something.. sounds great, trace call to kingston,jm. weird, he claims to be from wells fargo bank in las vegas nevada. so after telling him what he can do to himself, he proceeds to call me, and my mother, whose cell number is one off from mine. after telling him i will fly to jamaca if it doesnt end now and we can settle it there, the calls seem to have ended.

Anonymous said...

Received 7 calls in a row (I did not answer the phone) with caller ID of "Kingston JM" and the phone # is 1-876-863-4346.

Anonymous said...

We just got a phone call from the Jamaican Scam artists.....they are the rudest people in the world. They told my grandmother that this is Michael with the Mega Millions and my grandmother said what scam are you running today. The guy replied to my 80 year old grandma, "are you accusing me of being a scam artist? Who are you going to sell your pussy to today?" These people are absolutely ridiculous and uncalled for. This needs to stop!

Unknown said...

I got the exact same call from this number 876-328-3596 he said I won 5 million dollars!
He got beligrant after I told him to get lost and he called like 20 times in a row!

Unknown said...

my family is recieving phone calls from 876-504-3734, and this guy has been sayin he is from publisher clearing house and sayin sexual things to all of us, so i reported him to the police they cant
do much but im gonna go as far as i can to proscute him.

Sticks said...

I just got a Jamaica call a little while ago, and they said that they heard from my friend that I have a really good singing voice, and that I have the opportunity to win 1,000 bucks and an opportunity to become a famous singer if I sent in a recording of me singing, my address, my home phone #, and my full name including middle. I knew it was a scam, so, I said, "f*ck you, I know this is a scam, go fly a kite!" THEY WON'T STOP CALLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I started getting these calls from Jamaica just like everyone here posted. I purchased a new phone from Panasonic (KXTG7875S) that allows you to block 250 numbers. I don't think you should have to pay a monthly fee to verizon to block numbers.

Unknown said...

My mother rwcieved a call today from a 8765546796 saying they are with publishers clearing house and she had won money. So once the conversation continued she was told the only way the driver would leave her prizes was if she went and got a green dot card for 450 dollars. Which is to pay the taxes on the money. Lucky for us we didn't fall for it and we didn't get taken for any money. But I want the world to know so they do not get taken either. These people are trying to take us for what we have and I'm not going to stand for it. I have reported the number and want to do more. So if anyone knows any other way to get this out please let me know!

Anonymous said...

I have been getting the same type of calls from an 876 number. )876(365-8846. A Mr. Brown is telling me I wan "chosen"through an credit card purchase at KMart or WalMart or Cosco to be eligible for a 3.5 million dollar loan and all I had to do was send him 350 dollars for processing/ He won't identify himsefl, can't identify me and is quit belligerent and angry when I ask him for identifying information. He tells me that his company uses FBI information to identify their clients. His identification of his company is unintelligible. It is sort of quaint, I asked him why I could hear roosters crowing in the background and he got upset with me and told me to just listen to him so that he could do his job "doll". That was my breaking point, don't call me doll!!!Will these calls stop? Tonight he called another two times, harassing my children and telling them that I had agreed. My kids told him that he would have to talk to me an just hung up.

Anonymous said...

I've been getting these 876 calls too, just two thus far, but I was immediately skeptical of course, they said I had won the Publisher's Clearing House Sweeps Stakes. Since everyone seems to say getting belligerent with them does nothing, I think I'll try another route, I'll have fun with it, if they call I'll pretend to be taking a dump, use a fake accent, whether to annoy them or trick them. I won't give out personal info, I won't call them back, but I will hopefully make them realize it's a waste of time. If this tactic works I'll repost and hopefully as a society we can outsmart these jerks.

Unknown said...

A nasty and very vile character (male) continues to call my 93 year old mother and harass her fort $400 to collect here winnings. My mothers care giver has told him to stop and he retorts in a very vile way how he will do this and that to her unless she gets him the money.

Anonymous said...

We received a call this morning saying my number had randomly been chosen to win $285,000 to be delivered by certified check. My husband told him he knew it was a scam, the man, "Michael Webb" started to cuss at my husband and then proceeded to tell him that he knew where we lived and then threatened to kill all of our family

Anonymous said...

Got voice mail on my cell from 1-876-396-8252 from James Edward of Publishers Clearing House congratulating me for being the 3rd place winner of a pkg containing $5.8 million & if i was interested in receiving my grand prize, to call him back. I called him back from my home phone as my cell doesnt have long distance. He said to get a pc of paper to write down what i need to do to claim my prize. When i asked him what city he's calling from, the phone disconnected. I called him bk 2 x's & each time the phone went straight to vm with his name only, not Publishers Clearing House. I cud not leave a msg. He called me back 10 mins later & explained that they've been having technical problems since yest. He said that he was calling from Toronto (he had a Jamaican accent, but there are many Jamaicans living in TO), that 876 was a new area code & that there were 6 winners per mo! When i asked how i won since i never entered any sweepstakes, he said i cud have been entered automatically by paying my bills on time. He already knew my address which i confirmed & let me choose the time i wanted my certified cashiers ck delivered to my home by their special delivery team who would accompany me to the bank to make the deposit. I gave a time of 8 pm today as 9 pm was the latest & said that there's no banks open on a Sat night. He said that they would just leave the ck with me then to deposit on my own. I also had the option of the delivery being done "privately" or "publicly" with photos & tv cameras! All i needed to show was 2 pcs of pic IDs & give my 4 digit delivery # which he gave me. I had only 2 wks to claim my $5.8 million prize. Of course, i waited & no one showed up! I dont understand the purpose of this scam as they never asked for any $, personal or banking info?? I will call Bell Canada on Mon to see what the charges will be for the 3 min 1st call i made & the 2 x 30 sec subsequent calls i made after the disconnection of the 1st call. It was interesting that when he asked if i was excited that i won this $, i responded that i will get excited when the ck is in my hands!! I ll keep you posted what the ld calls will cost. Too good to be true?...ya!!

Anonymous said...

876-897-5968

This is 100% a scam and if you see this number or any other 876 number don't answer, unless you know someone in Jamaica. This may cause you to incur unwanted international charges on your home or cell phone number just by answering.

The Story or Scam:
David Sayer is posing to be a Publishers Clearing House (PCH) representative. He will as you a series of questions and tell you to that you have won $750,000 and a new BMW you can choose from red, pearl white, or navy blue. This car will have 1 year of free insurance and 1 year gas card.

Catch:
He wants you to wire $130 to Denrick Calvert in Newport, Jamaica. Sayer explains it to be as a way to verify your identity when they come to deliver your prize and Calvert is over the release of the prize.

Truth:
At PCH winners of our major prize awards are notified live and in person by our famous Prize Patrol. Since PCH awards a steady range of prizes throughout the year, at our option we may notify winners of lesser prize amounts via an overnight express carrier such as UPS, FedEx or USPS Express Mail and occasionally via email. Major prize award and SuperPrize winners are not notified via email. Prizes are awarded within eight weeks of final winner selection.

Only PCH is authorized to notify you of a win from a PCH giveaway. There are never any strings attached to winning a Publishers Clearing House prize. We do not ask for bank account information. There is no processing fee, tax or special handling charge required to win and our prizes are delivered free of charge to the winners. If you are asked to send any money, for any reason, to collect a prize - STOP - you have not heard from the real Publishers Clearing House.

Anonymous said...

Cell 876-561-0977 caller claimed to have a FEDEXP package to deliver for spouse because she won $10,000.00. The Jamaican Caller was angry when spouse did not believe scammer. Caller then started using profanity and obscene language. Spouse disconnected cell phone caller and reported incident to Phone Company.

Anonymous said...

Same here****** He assured me he was A Christian and God this and that even quoted scripture!; I played along for a while insisting that I was trying to get the money! He called repeated giving me suggestions of how I could get $. I told him I have cancer(which I do) BUT I explained how depressed I was and suicidal (which I'm not) SO after telling him I had exhausted every effort to get that $299.00 that could end my problems that I had taken a bottle of pills and how thankful I was to him for giving me the opportunity to change my life but it was to late and that I had to go lay down ... He's called back 6 times since! Stupid! Don't you know I'm dead????

Anonymous said...

(876) 572-4384572-4384i publisher clearing house is who they are claiming to be. I have to go to Walmart to get a 399 dollars "government" receipt to revive my 1.2 million dollar prize from pch!!! Be aware they have called me 16 times in a span of 2 hours. I told them I didn't have 399 right before Christmas and proceeded to ask me how much money I had. I told him I wasn't going to give him that information and he said "it's my job to ask questions" UGH

Anonymous said...

(876) 572-4384 publisher clearing house is who they are claiming to be. I have to go to Walmart to get a 399 dollars "government" receipt to revive my 1.2 million dollar prize from pch!!! Be aware they have called me 16 times in a span of 2 hours. I told them I didn't have 399 right before Christmas and proceeded to ask me how much money I had. I told him I wasn't going to give him that information and he said "it's my job to ask questions" UGH

Anonymous said...

Got the publishers clearing house call from 876-595-2751..... Said to call back to 909-509-4312

Anonymous said...

I also received a call from 876-474-0511 stating I had won 2.8 million and a new Mercedes. All I had to do was send $499 by Western Union to a Government agent to arrange for delivery. The address was a motel in Ferndale Michigan. The caller "John Davis" didn't like my response and hung up.

Anonymous said...

Got one from 876 831 2176, said i won 2.5 million in cash, a brand new corvette, and 10,000 per week for the rest of my life, i also told this man to cram it and i tirned it into the better business bureau, doubt it will do anything

Anonymous said...

My dad gets calls from them everyday. He uses Cox Landline phone. He writes down the number and then blocks it. (It's a company phone) he has a list of over 60 numbers... Just outrageous. My mom got a 401 number call In the state of RI. So I contacted the national do not call list. Which will involve the authorities. It was a credit card scam.

Anonymous said...

Just got a call from private 000-000-0000. Call back 876-438-0516. Michael Freeman American Golden something. Clearly accented dialects. JAMAICA MAN. calling supposedly from Washington!!! Offering 50000 for a $175 fee. Ha ha. Told him that he was scamming and claimed he couldn't hear me!!!

Anonymous said...

It is 2015 and they still at it. And we wonder why?

Author said...

Thanks for the post on Area code
area code

Anonymous said...

Got a call on my cell phone today from 876 458 4617 called himself David Lee from PCH said I needed to western union 250 bucks to get my claim ticket LOL! I played around with him for quite a while because I knew he was a scammer he was getting very irritable after about an hour when I started talking to him in a incomplete sentences he could not understand. Normally I would have just hung up but I was bored,so I took him for a ride

Anonymous said...

I keep getting texts and calls from a jamaican who's name was "James freeman" he told me I won 150000 and he was in north Carolina, my home state to come and deliver It to me. The one thing I see in common with all these and mine are 2 things. (876) and Western union. My number was 876 336 8213

Anonymous said...

This is sarcastic right

Anonymous said...

Just fielded a call moments ago -- got disconnected, he called back. I said, "Deduct the $299 from my winnings!" He said he couldn't do that, I had to have the receipt in hand for delivery of the "Publisher's Clearinghouse Alternative Prize" of $2.5 million.

I said, "Are you in Nigeria?" He said he wasn't.
I said, "Do you actually get people to buy this? You must, or you wouldn't still be calling."

He said, "I'm gonna get you for wasting my time! You m-f'ing j-a (diminutive of donkey), I have your address, I'm going to KILL YOU AND YOUR WIFE!"

I said, "Oh, you just crossed the line -- now you're in violation of FEDERAL law."

Called the local police department, they sent out two officers and took a report. It's the Jamaica area code, number 876-530-5051. As if he's really going to come after me. I'm going to get the shirt, "I do not have a gun because I'm afraid; I am unafraid BECAUSE I HAVE THE GUN."

Used the gun a week ago, didn't actually FIRE it -- but imagine getting PAGED by your home security system, tearing home to your house and finding a car parked in the driveway (I blocked it in), and FLASHLIGHTS IN THE HOUSE visible through the living-room window. Local police had a lot of fun with it; lookout was ASLEEP IN THE CAR, robber ended up with police-dog bites to his foot AND FACE. I was fully prepared to detain-at-gunpoint if necessary, and SHOOT if he pulled a weapon. Semi-automatic .380, I can empty the clip quickly. The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a GOOD GUY WITH A GUN. Period. (The police completely didn't care that I was armed; virtually all cops PREFER armed law-abiding citizens! It means LESS CRIME and safer police!!!)