(Memphis) A Consumer Alert and one that hits close to home here at WREG-TV News Channel 3.
Someone is apparently calling viewers pretending to be part of Richard Ransom’s Pass It On segments.
Every Tuesday on News Channel 3 at 10, Richard takes $300 from the petty cash drawer and finds someone to be his playmaker and that playmaker has an hour to pay it forward or Pass It On and surprise someone with a gesture of goodwill.
Today News Channel 3 got a surprise when a viewer called us saying someone had phoned him Saturday about being part of an upcoming Pass It On segment.
But here’s the deal, the call didn’t from us and Nancy Crawford with the Better Business Bureau says it was likely a scam.
“Scammers tend to follow the headlines and Pass It On is a well-known segment in this community and so they’re hoping that their victims will say “Gee, I’ve heard of that and this must be legitimate,” Crawford said.
The Better Business Bureau recommends you do your homework if you receive one of these calls.
“The best thing to do is verify that you are actually talking to News Channel 3 yourself.
So, if you do get a call, get their information, hangup and then you start a call with News Channel 3 to see if it was really them who called you,” Crawford said.
The BBB also said these scams are beginning to happen more and more, especially around the holiday season, when people tend to feel generous.