THE new trend that has reportedly developed within the confines of the Camp Street Prison, is that some prisoners are accessing cellphones, blocking the numbers and making calls to unsuspecting customers of Digicel, informing them that they have won valuables in a promotion.

With finesse and suave, the prisoners are dialling random cellphone numbers to tell customers that they have won various prizes in Digicel promotions, and they need to make a purchase of whatever amount of credit these prisoners tell them. This credit tops up the prisoners’ phones, and sometimes the amount runs into thousands of dollars.

Some persons have unfortunately fallen prey to this scam. One elderly woman has since topped up the phone of the caller with $15,000. She was told to cut up the Digicel cards purchased after reading out the serial numbers behind them, put the cut cards in an envelope, and go to the Digicel Store at Regent and Camp Streets, Georgetown, to collect her prize of two Samsung cell phones and $500,000 in cash.

This woman recently showed up at the place promptly at 2:00 pm, and got the shock of her life when she was told that no such promotion was ongoing at that location, nor was there any such promotion ongoing anywhere.

Other members of the public were asked to do what the elderly woman had done, and members of the media even received similar calls — all from a restricted number.

Senior officers of the Camp Street Prison were, on Friday, informed of the incident, but Director of Prisons Welton Trotz, was locked in a meeting and was unavailable for comment.

One unnamed officer told this publication that the service holds regular raids within the prison, but by next day, cell phones and other prohibited items find their way into the prisons via some prison officers, and the situation continues at the prisons anyway.

Digicel Guyana, having since been made aware of the scam, has published an advertisement in the daily newspapers with a glaring advisory.

By Michel Outridge