Scam alert! Publisher’s Clearing House fake prize
Elmira, N.Y (WETM) — A scam caller is now hitting phones in the Twin Tiers, claiming you’ve won huge prizes from Publisher’s Clearing House. If you get a phone call from someone saying you’ve “won” $-several million and a new car from Publisher’s Clearing House, it’s an attempt to get your personal information and bank account number. It is 100% a scam. PCH will not call you if you’ve won (read on to see how it will let you know).
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A scam attempt came to a member of the 18 News team from number 702-553-4738. It gave a claim number. The first indicator that it was a scam was the message that was left. It came from what sounded like a robot, perhaps an AI-generated voice, saying he had won a huge cash prize and a Mercedes Benz automobile.
First, if you get a call from this number, or you get a message from someone saying you’ve won a PCH jackpot, don’t call back! That will certify the number belongs to a real person and you’ll be headed to scam or Spam call purgatory.
So we called back from a newsroom phone. That’s when we got a second indicator. A rather bored-sounding voice said “Publisher’s Clearing House”. We said, “What”? The person reaffirmed it was, indeed, PCH. He then asked for our name and claim number. We asked, “If you gave me a claim number shouldn’t you already have my name?” He immediately disconnected the call.
5 signs it’s a scam call before you even pick up, according to an expert
It sounds legitimate, and you may want to believe it, but PCH makes it clear on its website that it won’t call you if you win:
If you are ever contacted by someone claiming to represent PCH, or
claiming to be one of our employees, and asked to send or wire money (for any
reason whatsoever, including taxes); or send a pre-paid gift card or Green Dot
Moneypak card in order to claim a sweepstakes prize — DON’T! It’s a SCAM. If
you are sent a check, told it’s a partial prize award, and asked to cash it and
send a portion back to claim the full prize award, DON’T. The check is fake,
but the SCAM is real!
Publishers Clearing House does not operate this way and would NEVER ask
for money to claim a prize. PCH employees would never contact you personally or
in advance to notify you of a prize award. Our SuperPrize is presented just the
way you see it in our popular TV commercials, “live and in person” by
our Prize Patrol, with balloons, bouquet of roses and check in hand — — and
with no advance notification!
Reports of similar calls are coming in from other parts of the country, and some people are giving out their personal information, even banking numbers. Here’s something to remember: a legitimate contest will NEVER ask you to pay to get your prize.
If you get a scam call like this, PCH asks you to call at 800-392-4190. It also offers this web link to report fraud attempts and get more information.
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