Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Another Resident Falls Victim To Publishers Clearing House Scam
Another local resident reported to authorities late last week that she had fallen victim to a scam during which callers claimed that she was a winner in the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes.
The fifty-seven year old victim reported that at around 9:00 a.m. Friday she had been contacted by telephone by a man who claimed to be with UPS. The caller told her that, “She should have already received a letter in regards to a new BMW car and $650,000 cash she had won.”
The woman then spoke with a man who identified himself as “Alex Johnson from Publisher’s Clearing House.” In order to claimer her prizes, he told her she needed to put $3,500 on a green dot card, then give him the numbers. She said she told the caller that she did not have that amount and that he subsequently instructed her to put $495 on a card, instead.
Once they had the money, the woman said the caller told her to contact his supervisor name “Michael”. She said that he neither gave her the man’s last name nor any contact information, and once she hung up she had had no further contact with them.
Authorities continue to warn residents who receive such calls to be sure to contact local law enforcement agencies. This will allow them to check the validity of the claim before any money is lost.
