The days of popping champagne, sporting expensive gold chains, and throwing away money at parties are long gone for lotto scammers in Montego Bay, St James, who are now said to be fleeing the city while others are trying to keep a low profile. This is so following last week's launch of the Jamaican Operations Linked to Telemarketing (JOLT) task force.

Residents from at least two popular communities in Montego Bay told THE STAR that since JOLT's operation last week wherein nine persons were detained and vehicles and cash seized, many dialers (scammers) were shaking in their boots.

Snitcherton, one of the Mon-tegonians that contacted THE STAR, said who scammers in his community had gone as far as to stop wearing jewellery and had started driving less-expensive vehicles, attempting to be less flamboyant.


'Dem stop floss'

"Some a de man dem stop beat jewellery. yow! dem pud dung de big chain and all a drive some likkle Corolla," he said. "Dem stop floss. Dem a tek it serious cuz dem kno dat de police dem ave information on dem already."

The resident said some of the scammers in his area had even convened a small meeting to discuss strategies to elude the task force.

Jelli-Annsaid she, too, had seen a small gathering of known scammers in her community, but could not say whether it was a meeting to discuss measures about how not to get caught. She said she had noticed that the dialers had been less bold in their choice of clothes and cars. She said some had left their apartments and houses, which they had bought with scam money, opting to venture out of town to "cool out".

Assistant Commission of Police (ACP) Les Green, a member of the JOLT task force, said the police had anticipated that the scammers would try to keep a low profile but said this would not deter the operation. He said: "This (JOLT) is going to be a long series of activities across the island, and we will continue to work with the information we are receiving."


migration

ACP Green said the migration of scammers to other parts of the island was not necessarily a reaction to JOLT. He stated that scammers had already been moving across parishes.

JOLT comprises the Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE) division of the United States Homeland Security Department, the United States Embassy in Jamaica, and personnel from a number of national authorities, including the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Customs, Passport and Immigration department, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court, and the Financial Investigation Division of the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service.

The task force's aim is to decapitate Montego Bay's deadly, multi-billion-dollar lotto scam.