Police in the Pittsburgh area have been warning people about a scam in which the victims receive a call informing them that they have won a contest sponsored by the Rite Aid pharmacy.  In order to collect the $18,000 the victim is told that  he or she needs to go to the pharmacy and buy a prepaid Green Dot card with $500 and provide the information from the card to the caller in order to cover the taxes owed on the winnings.  Green Dot cards are prepaid debit cards that can be used like cash.  Unfortunately, just like cash, if you give the information from a Green Dot card to a scam artist, you have lost that money forever.

TIPS

Rite Aid is not sponsoring any such contest at this time and even if it did, the sponsors of contest never collect the taxes due on the money you receive.  The contest sponsor either deducts your taxes from your winnings before the money is given to your or, as is most common, you receive the entire amount of the prize and it is your responsibility to pay the taxes.  Never give any personal information to anyone over the phone unless you have initiated the call and you know that the person or company you have called has a legitimate need for the information.