Camera catches phone scammer in act

Andy Pinedo was dropping his grandson off at school when he received the first of several calls from an unknown number.

“Some individual called and said we had won $2.7 million,” Pinedo said.

The caller told Pinedo in order to receive the money Andy would have to purchase $1,000 worth of CVS Pharmacy gift cards.

“And they gave me a number to call them back as soon as I had those two prepaid cards,” Pinedo said.

The number Pinedo was supposed to call started with 8-7-6. It’s one of more than a dozen area codes scam artists are using. And as we were interviewing him, the mysterious caller called again. So he passed the phone to us.

“You’re being recorded right now, this is CBS Local 2 News, can you tell us where you’re located?”

The caller said he was in Las Vegas, that he worked for Publisher’s Clearing House, and once again asked Pinedo to call the 8-7-6 number after the gift cards were purchased.

We asked if the caller was aware of the scams. His reply: That he also works for the FBI.

“OK, the reason we have an 8-7-6 number is we need to catch these unscrupulous guys,” the caller said.

Area codes like 8-7-6 appear domestic, but they’re not. Calling back can cost you $20 for the first minute.

Pinedo never called back and instead reported the calls to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Now, he’s contacting his cell phone provider to make sure he doesn’t get charged for the calls received.

“I’m going to let them know about it because I want to make sure I don’t get charged for something, I received a phone call at random,” Pinedo said.

You’re urged to contact police and report suspicious numbers beginning with the following area codes:

242- Bahamas 246 – Barbados 264 – Anguilla 268 – Antigua 284 – British Virgin Islands 345 – Cayman Islands 441 – Bermuda 473 – Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique 649 – Turks and Caicos 664 – Montserrat 758 – St Lucia 767 – Dominica 784 – St. Vincent & Grenadines 809, 829, 849 – Dominican Republic 868 – Trinidad and Tobago 876 – Jamaica 869 – St. Kitts & Nevis

24328674