Fake Radio Contest? Shreveport Residents Targeted by Scam

Unfortunately, in today's world, you always have to be on your toes. Because there's a bunch of scumbags out there who are trying to rip you off. Scam can range from "How did anybody fall for this?" to "Man, that's pretty convincing and it could have got me".

That brings us to the latest scam that caught our attention: There are people posing as local radio stations calling folks in Shreveport-Bossier and asking for money. This one hits close to home because radio is what we do.

Spotting a Real Shreveport Radio Contest from a Fake One

One of the things we do here in the world of radio is give stuff away. We've given away trips, items, money, event tickets...pretty much everything you can imagine. So, if your favorite station calls you up and tells you that you won something, there's a good chance that you did.

However, we just got a call from an upset listener who got ripped off by a scammer. The scammer was posing as personality from a local radio station and said that they won a trip to an Island getaway. We give away trips all the time, so nothing out of the ordinary so far. Plus, according to the person that reached out, they were using all the proper lingo from the station so no alarm bells went off.

So, the scammer got their hooks in by saying all the right things, but here's where things took a turn. To qualify for the trip, the listener had to pay $400 in taxes up front.

Yes, you may have to pay taxes on prizes valued over a certain amount, but we'll NEVER ask you to immediately or upfront. Anything that reaches that level of prize, there's a lot of paperwork and processes involved to protect us and winners.

Also, 99% of contest we run, you have to enter. Whether you call in, enter via our app or website, etc.. If you never heard about a contest, it probably doesn't exist.

Why Legitimate Radio Stations Don't Ask for Upfront Cash

Again, radio is a federally regulated industry. So, when it comes to giveaways, there's a lot of i's to dot and t's to cross. It's for our protection and to prevent things like I'm describing from happening.

So, if you EVER get an email, a text or a phone call from someone claiming you won something from any radio station and they ask for money upfront before you can claim your prize, it's a scam. 100%. No grey area. We don't do that. Legally, we can't do that.

In fact, if you win something, one of our DJs will reach out to you to let you know you won and give you instructions on all the following steps. If it's a small prize, it's instructions on where to pick up or how to use it. If it's a big prize, we'll tell you who will be reaching out, what information we need, why we need it, etc.. Steps that may seem like a pain in the butt in the moment, but are in place to protect everyone involved.

What to Do Immediately If Contacted by a Shreveport Scam Caller

The person that reached out to us after getting ripped off wanted to know what the next steps to go on their beach retreat. Unfortunately, we had to be the bearer of bad news and tell them they got ripped off.

So, If you get a call like the one we described above - where you won a radio contest but you need to pay first - the first thing to do is hang up. Because it's 100% a scam.

The next step would be to reach out to your local law enforcement agency - Shreveport Police, Bossier Police, Caddo Sheriff's Office, etc.. Because there's a good chance that they might be able to track down and arrest whoever is responsible for this crime.

But, the big thing: don't send anybody money. Like I mentioned, there's lots of steps and paperwork before we EVER make any sort of financial transaction.