We've all probably gotten that letter from the Nigerian Prince, who wants to share millions of dollars with you. Aren't you lucky? Or maybe you've seen the spam email telling you you're being billed $300 to renew a McAfee subscription you never had. 

Most of us have received some version of this over the years, but I have to admit, this is the first scam I've seen tied directly to a radio station. It happened in the U.K., where someone went through an oldies outlet's Facebook page going back years and then contacted listeners telling them they'd won a cash prize thanks to the messages they left.

All they had to do was claim it from "Debbie," a supposed station rep, and the money was all theirs as part of a new contest they were running. It even came with its own webpage and a picture of "Debbie" hard at work. And of course, those who eagerly responded were asked for sensitive information - and you can guess what happened after that.

"The competition says: “Congratulations to the people we have chosen. Special Giveaway. We have collaborated with our sponsors to do a RANDOM SEARCH from 2015 to 2022 to choose 20 lucky people to get: a SPECIAL PRIZE £1000.” (Just over $1,600 Canadian.)

The jig was up once the local newspaper discovered the cheat, but it's the first time I can recall that a scam artist used a radio contest to try and steal information - and then money - from a listener.

I can see it now, updated for modern times. "Don't type 'hello.' Type 'I Listen To CHUM.'



Fake Greatest Hits Radio competition scam targets fans of station