Police Seek Victims of Telemarketing Scam

Police are seeking victims of a giveaway scam in connection with the recent arrests of two Huntington Beach men who allegedly tricked elderly individuals nationwide into thinking they had won prize money.

Roy J. Perry, 29, and Ryan A. Pirkle, 23, were arrested by Irvine police March 21 and charged with telemarketing fraud and conspiracy to commit grand theft.

Police said the two men operated a telemarketing boiler-room operation in Huntington Beach from which hundreds of people were called and told that they had won amounts ranging from $25,000 to $1 million.

The victims were told that they had to pay a 1% state gift tax to receive the prize money. They sent amounts ranging from $400 to $10,000 to post office boxes in Irvine but received no prize money, according to police, who said there is no such tax.

Police investigators have discovered bank records showing that about $300,000 in deposits were made to accounts belonging to the telemarketing operation since November, 1994.

Victims were tricked into believing that they had won cash in the well-known Publishers Clearing House contest, Irvine police Lt. Sam Allevato said.

Anyone with information can call Irvine police investigator Denny Jenner at (714) 724-7183.