I received a call last night from RPR because I filled out a ballot at a home and garden show about two weeks ago for a free Bahamas/Orlando vacation. The lady on the phone told me I had been chosen "demographically" and I could receive this vacation by just paying the taxes etc. She then verified my information and asked if I was in good standing with VISA. I said I had a VISA, but never gave her the number (Thank goodness!).
She asked to speak with my husband as well, but the other phone wasn't working and he said for her to call back another time. Tonight I received a call from a different man claiming the same thing and speaking very quickly. He said that all I had to do was verify my information and the package would be sent to me. When I asked him what exactly I had won, he said 15 nights hotel in Florida and the Bahamas cruise (no airfare). When I explained to him that I was not interested in anything that required me to purchase airfare, he said, "Why not?" and I explained that we could not afford $500/person for airfare to Florida, just for a free hotel.
He then got annoyed and said that because I had filled out the registration form, I had committed myself to whatever I won and I would be responsible for a 32% US Lottery tax whether I took the trip or not. I got angry and said I was not paying for anything and he had no right to charge me for it. He then told me that I should have read the rules and regulations at the booth where I filled out the "ballot". I said again that I was not paying for anything and he said, "If you give me permission, I can offer your package to someone on standby instead of you, but you only need to pay $125.00 right now and the rest can be handled in monthly payments." Then he tried to transfer me to another department again.
Finally, after I refused to speak to anyone in their credit department, he said he would give my package to someone else and hung up on me. I told my husband right away and he called back the number on our call display (Toronto area code). He asked what the company was and why they had just tryed to intimidate his wife. The man replied, "You are doing the same thing by calling me back and yelling at me." He also called my husband rude and said he has 300 employees and couldn't possibly pinpoint who had called me (I didn't get the man's name, unfortunately). My husband asked that they never call again and hung up.
Thankfully, these people never got my VISA number, or I would be in real trouble. Whatever you do, do not let them talk you into giving them the visa number for any reason. I'm sure it saved me major problems in the next few days. Hope this helps someone in the future!
J
Lethbridge, Alberta
Canada
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