Officials with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas  and Southwest Iowa is warning area residents about another sweepstakes scam.  A senior consumer from Wausa, NE.,  reported receiving a phone call informing him that he had won $450,000 through the American Family Network. But before funds are made available, the caller told him he would have to pay $4,500 in advance “due to the government’s ‘Patriot Act’ that requires recipients of large amounts of money to pay 1%.”  When the consumer said he did not have the money, another person called later to tell him they got a $3,000 loan for him and he would only have to send a cashier’s check for $1,500 to receive the $450,000 prize.

When the consumer did not send the requested funds, he received several calls from an “attorney” from Las Vegas and his “secretary” claiming that they represented American Family Network and tried to convince him to pay the $1,500. The man told the “attorney” that that he had contacted the Better Business Bureau and was informed that he should not have to pay anything to collect a sweepstakes prize. When asked, the consumer gave him the phone number of the BBB in Omaha. The “attorney” assured him that he would have someone from the BBB call him.

Shortly after, the man received a call from “Linda Brown” at the BBB. Brown spoke with a Jamaican accent, but the caller ID indicated that the call came from 402-391-7612, the BBB’s main phone number. When questioned, Brown stated that she was located at the address of the BBB in Omaha and continued to try to get him to agree to send the $1,500. Instead, he called the BBB and spoke with a real BBB staff person who confirmed that there was no Linda Brown employed at the BBB.

BBB President Jim Hegarty stated, “The Better Business Bureau has absolutely no affiliation with this fraudulent operation. I advise consumers to be extremely leery of letters, faxes, emails or phone calls telling them they’ve won prizes, lotteries or sweepstakes. Remember, phone numbers can deceive.” He says “Many of these calls come from boiler rooms in Jamaica, and anyone playing along with them guarantees the only real winners will be the scammers.”

If you get a call telling you that you are a winner, BBB recommends that you look for these red flags:  Lottery tickets must be purchased. Sweepstakes usually involve application paperwork that you have completed; Don’t pay any money to collect supposed sweepstakes winnings. If you have to pay to collect your winnings, you’re not winning – you’re buying. Legitimate sweepstakes don’t require you to pay “insurance,” “taxes” or “shipping and handling charges” to collect your prize; Hold on to your money!  Scammers pressure people to wire money through commercial money transfer companies because wiring money is the same as sending cash. When the money’s gone, there’s very little chance of recovery. Likewise, resist any push from the caller to send a check or money order by overnight delivery or courier. Con artists recommend these services so they can get their hands on your money before you realize you’ve been cheated; A lottery application or win announcement comes via telephone or mail from outside the country; The letter, fax or email is full of grammatical and spelling errors; or, the caller is pressuring you for personal information.

A Red Oak man was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond after he was tased and arrested following a traffic stop at around 10:20-p.m., Monday. 28-year old Devon Michael Wheat faces charges of Eluding a pursuing law enforcement vehicle and Interference with Official Acts, both of which are Serious Misdemeanors.

Red Oak Police report when an officer attempted to stop a 2001 Chevy 1500 pickup at the intersection of south Broadway and Park Avenue, the vehicle turned eastbound and failed to stop. When it finally pulled over at the intersection of south 4th and Park Avenue, the driver, identified as Wheat, got out and allegedly became very agitated with and hostile toward, the officers.

Police say they advised Wheat to return to his pickup and sit down, but he allegedly continued to be aggressive and non-compliant. Officers deployed an X-26 Taser in an effort to get the man under control. The result was Wheat being taken into custody. Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies assisted Red Oak Police during the incident.

Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office along with officers with the Red Oak Police Department, worked to arrest a woman Monday night on alcohol and other charges. 52-year old Rlena Dee Crouse, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 9:10-p.m. following a traffic stop near the intersection of Forest and Eastern Avenues, in Red Oak.

Crouse was charged with OWI/1st offense, Criminial Mischief in the 3rd degree (for destruction of County property), Interference with Official Acts, and Possession of an Open Container. She was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and held on $2,000 bond.