A San Diego senior was promised $850,000 and a new truck. Now, after being targeted again, he’s warning others about fake prize scams.
SAN DIEGO — A San Diego senior said he lost $1,200 after scammers convinced him he had won $850,000 and a brand-new truck. Now, after being targeted again, he hopes that sharing his experience will help others avoid falling for similar scams.
About a week ago, Douglas Higgs received a call from an unknown number telling him he had won a prize: $850,000 and a 2025 GMC pickup truck.
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But there was a catch. The callers told him he needed to pay fees before he could collect his winnings.
First, they asked him to send $200 in gift cards. Higgs sent the money, but the requests didn’t stop there.
“They were trying to get the check for you, but there’s a $500 fee to have the stamp put on the check,” Higgs recalled one of the callers telling him.
He sent another $500, followed by an additional $500 for a delivery fee, bringing his total losses to $1,200.
For several days, Higgs said he communicated with someone from a company called “American Cash Awards.” They sent him a photo of a check with his name on it, along with a video of the truck he thought he had won.
But the prize never arrived.
“I waited, and they never showed up,” Higgs said. “The guy called me, apologized, and said it was his fault. He was supposed to deliver my prize, but he didn’t make it.”
That’s when Higgs said he realized he had been scammed.
“I don’t even want the prize no more. You guys got my stomach in knots,” he said. “That money I saved up, I had plans for that money. I was going to buy me an e-bike, and now I can’t.”
Higgs, who said he has a disability and a medical condition, said the experience has taken an emotional and financial toll.
The Better Business Bureau rates American Cash Awards with an “F” rating and 12 complaints. News 8 called multiple phone numbers listed on the website, as well as numbers used to contact Higgs, but received no answer.
“I don’t want other people to have to go through that,” Higgs said. Even after the first scam, Higgs said he received another call from someone claiming he had won $4.5 million.
This time, the caller allegedly told him he had been selected after making a donation to an animal society. They said sponsors would cover the fees, but he needed to provide his bank account information to receive the money.
This is another example of a fake prize or sweepstakes scam.
The Federal Trade Commission warns that if someone asks you to pay money or provide financial information to claim a prize, it’s a scam. Legitimate sweepstakes don’t require winners to pay fees to collect their winnings.
The FTC also advises people to watch for pressure to send money or share personal information and to be skeptical of prizes that sound too good to be true.
Higgs is now working on filing a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. The FBI uses reports to collect information about online scams and help identify and prevent fraud.
His message to others: don’t let the promise of a big prize cost you your hard-earned money.
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