Beware of scammers saying ‘you’ve won a prize’

The Crook County Sheriff’s Office is reporting an increase in the number of scam reports in this area in which the caller claims to be from the Publishers Clearing House. This is a scam that the PCH itself has issued warnings about. 

Callers tell the victims they’ve won a significant cash prize and then ask them to send money to a specific place. 

The reasons given for this payment, according to the sheriff’s office, range from a need to “verify your account” to “paying for the taxes associated with the prize” to “opening a money card for the prize money to be added to.”

Scammers have also been known to send a letter claiming to award the recipient a prize and containing a check that may appear legitimate. The letter will often claim this is an advance on a larger award that will be sent after the victim wires a portion back to cover a fee, tax or additional payment. 

PCH has stated that scammers are also known to have been accessing and using the names of real employees who are part of the PCH Prize Patrol. 

The Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers also attempt to use urgency to press people into conceding to their remands. The caller states that this is a limited time offer to rush victims into making a decision without the time to think about what’s happening. 

PCH is well known for its SuperPrize, which is always presented to the winner in person with no advance notification. The company does not contact its winners via phone, email, mail or social media, never requires a payment, fee or tax to claim a prize and will never ask for personal or financial information to receive the prize.