Called claims to work for Megamillions and we won a Mercedes Benz and 2.4 million check and cash. All he wants is us to buy a 400 dollar green dot card and give him the number over the phone. Yeah right. Con/Scammer

Had a call at the church from what seems to be the same guy a couple of days ago. Similar MO: mother-in-law is still dying, apparently, and now the wife has a UTI. Claims he has a job waiting for him, but needs work boots ... two of the children also need shoes - $120.00 total value. I eventually extracted out of him that he was in Jamaica - as are all the rest of the family.

I only got the number because it came in between quite a few 'Unknown' and 'No Caller ID' calls, none of which left a message. Searching for that number I came across this site.

Now to let all the clergy in the deanery know about this guy!

Thanks to all who have posted - it is really difficult to tell the honest person in need from the artful scammer and your service is really appreciated.

Same deal as the guy above. The caller claims to have visited my church and now would like me to send money to Jamaica for him and two of his children. He claims his mother is dying and that his wife is also in hospital. It screams 'scam' I'm afraid.

My parents are receiving numerous calls from this number (Jamaica) telling them that they won millions of dollars, a new BMW, etc...  My parents are instructed to send money to cover the delivery fees. SCAM!

Winston Walsh has been calling our Episcopal Church asking funds after Hurrican Sandy. He reports that he has a job at Home Depot in Jamaica (no Home Depot's in Jamaica) but needs money $ 60 for boots. Also called asking for funds $100 for cooking gas saying that he has a $40 voucher from Red Cross. He claims to have attended our church and met the rector but no one at the church remembers him or has a connection. His friends that used to live in Albuquerque have surprisingly moved to Florida. His calls come from unavailable or private numbers so there is not way to trace the number. He likes to call the church on Sunday during the rush of services and when he might get a parishioner who will believe his story and wire him money via Western Union.

Has called in the past asking for money for the children for shoes for school. Also has mentioned that his wife has cancer and at times his mother-in-law has cancer. Could not afford treatment in US so went back to Jamaica.

I just received a call from a man with a a Jamaican accent claiming to be Raymond Johnson from Louisiana Lottery. Apparently I have won 2.5 million dollars and all I have to do is give him a $100 dollar gift card in order to receive it.
    He even gave me a case number, how ridiculous, but he is smart, he called on Saturday when all of the LA Lottery offices are close and I cannot verify.
    Let your friends and family know that he has changed his tactic and is trying his hand at the lottery. I wonder how much money he actually scams from people.

I'm the Interim pastor at an Episcopal Church in Vt. Pretty much the same story as everybody else, except that he gave his name as Winston Smith. Said he'd attended our parish once last September. Mother in law dying, asked that we put her on the prayer list. I took him seriously, talked with him pastorally. He called a few days later saying she had died, and he needed money for something to do with getting her body or getting shoes for the children.

Episcopal Church in Illinois.. similar stories.. male caller named "David" calling repeatedly, growing irritated, and becoming threatening.  Considering calling the police.  Feeling rather unnerved.  Pathetic people scamming the Lord's house.  This is a new low.

called and asked for $140.00 because his 2 kids (then it change to 3 kids) need shoes for a funeral. Said his wife's mother was dying of breast cancer. Then the story changed that the kids needed shoes to get back into school... Said they (he and wife)had been at our church, but the pastor didn't remember them. (He remembers everyone)  I told him I would buy the shoes here and send them down to him and he said they probably wouldn't fit so just send money.  He said he would be back to the area soon to get a job, that he had to leave quickly because his wife's green card had expired and they were going to be deported.  She would follow later after she had the kids added to her passport.
               Sounds too similar to all the other reports.

Same story here; only very minor variations and we couldn't capture his phone number. I found this by google-ing Louis Granger, his reference.

Our priest was called on Sunday and given the exact same story and David has called back at least ten times trying to re-connect and find out if our priest had called his reference and was going to take further action. We first just researched the area code and noted the phone scams connected with the 876 number (although it is a legit area code for Jamaica), but then I googled the specific number we'd been given and found all these notices. Thanks.  I've alerted all our local churches to the scam.

This caller called our church at least three times. Her asked for our priest by name. He claimed he had met our priest at a Sunday service. We are in between priests, so I asked him the nature of his call.  He said it was an emergency, and that it involved his mother-in-law and asked for a number to get in touch with a priest.  The best I could do was to email the interim priest and take this man's number.  He said his name is David Martin and that his wife's name is Jennifer.  The priest called him and he said he needed money sent to Jamaica for shoes. Now the priest is worried he may have  a huge phone bill because he called a Jamaica Number, unknowingly, from his personal phone.

I would like to know how to block this person from calling us again, and find out if there is any recourse in case the interim priest gets a huge phone bill due to this.

Thank you.

David Martin is not very creative.  Same details as before.  Can't get his facts for 30 to 45 seconds - long enough to Google an answer.  Said he had a job waiting with SYSCO food services when he gets back to the US.  Needs $90 for shoes for the three kids.First his mother-in-law had breast cancer, then it was poor Lisa.  I Googled his former pastor, Louis Grenier, and David's name came up with a different phone number from two years ago.

Yep, just had the same call. He first said he wanted his mother in law on the prayer list: Kathleen Ellis for breast cancer. Then he apologized for leaving church so quickly without saying goodbye but that their green cards were expiring. He appeals to the heart and a pastor's inability to remember every visitor. He also mentioned Louis Grenier was his headmaster and priest. He said his wife needed 250 for medical so she could return to the states, gave kids names as Michelle (12), Elizabeth (10) and Brian (9). Said they need shoes for $40 apiece.  Used lots of details to sound like a real need. Probably some real need. It's a shame to have discovered what a scam this is. Directed me to Western Union. Gave an address of 15 Irvin St. Kingston, Jamaica, W.I. and a phone number 1-876-407-4233.

Just received the same type of call on a voicemail message, from a 'David' who says he visited the church and his children were in a car accident.

Number is still active...caller identified himself as David (Lisa) Martin....(when asked last name, first said "Walsh" then corrected to say "Martin").  Insisted on speaking with Pastor...soliciting for money...has done so before claiming prior knowledge of our church and/or members/pastor..

Still Scamming
February 21, 2011

We received a call from David Martin with the exact same story.  The story didn't add up so I googled the phone number and came across this page.  When he called back, I told him that I knew it was a scam and he instantly hung up the phone.

Caller, David Martin, said he had been to our church in the past and urgently needed to speak to the pastor. As others have stated, he said he had two children who had been in an accident and they had just been released from the hospital and he needed $145 to get their medication.  Wanted our church to take up a collection for him. He was gave these two numbers to get back to him (876-407-4233 and 876-366-2619 wife).  Stated his children not only needed the medication but also juices since they couldn't have anything solid.  He said they were in St. Mary, Jamaica and would be back to the states in November to work for Cisco.

Exact same M.O. as above. Said he attended our church and family in car accident. Same names as well.

Same M.O. as other fraud calls.  A David Martin or Margin, wife Valerie, 2 kids Christopher and Elizabeth ages 8 and 11 or 11 and 8 (he got confused on the order), claims attended church in April 2010, kids in car wreck in Colorado, now recuperating in Jamaican hospital but needing medicines costing $85. Gave reference to a Louis Grenier, his pastor, at 876-398-8220 which we have also reported.  Caller claims to be returning to area in fall seeking work in the food industries.

Caller, David Martin, said he had been to our church in the past and even knew the name of a former pastor. He said he had two children Christoper (11) and Elizabeth (8) who was on a breathing machine. He asked for $90.00 for medication and another $60.00 for shoes for the children. He said they were in St. Mary, Jamaica and would be back to the states at the end of September.

I have been tagged

caller says his wife was getting deported to jamaica, his kids were in a bad car accident going to school, he had appendicitis, and his sons being taken off the respirator and coming home possibly Saturday. He claims he's been at my home church in November 2009, although no one remembers him. He asked the church to give him money.

Caller says his son and daughter have chickenpox requesting we wire $$$ to him in Jamaica

Asking for money