Potential Scams Targeting Kendall County Residents

Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis is cautioning county residents, especially senior citizens, about possible financial scams that have been recently targeted at local residents.  

With the tough economic times, many criminals are looking at new and creative ways to scam thousands of dollars from hard working people.  

The latest scam involves the individual winning a prize from a ‘USA Consumer Sweepstake.' This scam promises a person thousands, even millions of dollars, but requires the receiver to pay money up front to claim their prize or reward.  

Criminals send information, including what appears to be a valid check for the prize money, to the resident who is then required to call a number to claim the prize.  The caller is then told to send money to an address, usually outside of the United States, to help offset the cost of processing the winner’s prize.  This can run into the thousands of dollars.  

Weis cautioned that the information you receive may look official or contain what appears to be an actual company address or website.  “If this sounds too good to be true, it probably is," said Weis. 

Residents should always do some research and ask questions before sending money to unknown individuals or companies. Weis said his office and local law enforcement want to protect local residents, especially senior citizens, from becoming the victim of these financial scams.  

If you suspect that you may be or have been a victim of a financial scam, you should contact your local law enforcement agency, the Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office, or the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.