Las Vegas Woman Accused In Sweepstakes Scam

A Las Vegas woman has been accused of being part of a trio involved in a sweepstakes scam which bilked thousands of Americans out of their hard-earned cash.

According to an article written by David Charns and posted on 8NewsNow.com, Barbara Trickle, 78, of Las Vegas, allegedly teamed up "with Kimberly Stamps, 46, of Gilbert, Arizona; and John Kyle Muller, 56, of Boulder, Colorado, to '[deceive] thousands of consumers into paying fees for falsely promised prizes,' prosecutors said."

Per Charns' article, this crew allegedly mailed out millions of sweepstakes prize notices between 2012 and 2018. Victims of this scam were encouraged to pay a small sum ranging from $20 to $50 dollars in order to receive a large cash prize. In total, this trio is accused of collecting over $15 million dollars while operating this sweepstakes scam.

And, according to the 8NewsNow.com posting, Trickle is accused of being the organizer and operator of this sweepstakes scam. Court documents are quoted in the article as stating: "'Trickle supervised the lasering, printing, and mailing of the fraudulent prize notices. She also directed her employees to analyze victim response data in furtherance of the scheme. Trickle was paid by her co-conspirators for these services.'”

Charns' article goes on to explain that although these sweepstakes scam letters appeared to be personal correspondence, they were actually form letters which were mass produced by the trio of accused scammers. The notices "were bulk-mailed to recipients whose names and addresses appeared on mailing lists purchased and rented by the defendants,” according to prosecutors quoted in Charns' article.

If all or any member of this trio accused of perpetrating this sweepstakes scam is convicted, they could receive the "maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a minimum fine of $250,000" dollars for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, as well as multiple counts of wire fraud and mail fraud.

They are scheduled to appear in court on February 15, 2023.

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Larry Martino is the long-time Afternoon Drive personality on 96.3 KKLZ. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of Larry Martino and not necessarily those of Beasley Media Group, LLC.

As if there weren't enough things to worry about. Your credit card information may be stolen by simply using it in local retail stores, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police warn.

Scammers have recently been targeting the Las Vegas area by using EMV (Smart Chip) "skimmers," according to metro police's Twitter.

These "skimmers" are sleek, discrete add-ons to credit card machines that can be easily overlooked. These small devices can collect information from thousands of cards and even steal PIN number information.

The police say when unsuspecting customers insert their cards in a machine, the skimmer will still processes the purchase while simultaneously collecting your card's data. The customer thinks they made an innocent purchase when in reality, scammers have just collected their credit card information.

Due to the discrete nature of "skimmers," these devices can stay in place for a long period of time, which makes this a big problem, police said on Twitter. "Skimmers" are commonly found in ATMs, gas station pumps and "unmonitored" pay stations.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers often don't notice their information was stolen until the bank sends a statement or an overdraft notice.

To avoid being a victim to this scam, here are a few tips to spot these devices so you can protect your financial security.

Although "skimmers" are small, these devices are not impossible to find. Las Vegas Metro Police said on Twitter that compromised credit card machines with "skimmers" often stick out and are noticeably different than other PIN pads.

You can further check to see if there's a "skimming" device inserted in the machine by pulling on the PIN-pad hood. By pulling on the hood, the skimmer may come loose from the credit card terminal, police said.

https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/skimming#:~:text=Tips%20When%20Using%20an%20ATM%20or%20POS%20Terminal&text=Look%20for%20anything%20loose%2C%20crooked,cameras%20from%20recording%20your%20entry.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says consumers should inspect ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) terminals and other card readers before using them. If the machine appears to be crooked, damaged or scratched then you shouldn't use it.

Las Vegas Metro Police recommends that if you find a "skimming" device, do not tamper with it. Instead, alert a store employee and call "311."

And as always, it's important to contact your financial institution if your credit card information was stolen or comprised. Be vigilant, pay attention to your online banking app and be safe!