Another scam has recently surfaced in Southeastern Indiana. Though not a new scam, it has been successful for the scammers in other areas of the United States. The scam works like this; a person will receive a phone call advising them they have placed second or third in the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes and have won hundreds of thousands of dollars and they are asked to wire money via Western Union cover taxes and processing fees.
Indiana State Police warn residents against this scam.
If you receive a call such as this, ask yourself this question, “Did I enter the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes?” If you didn’t enter or send anything in, how could you be a winner? If you did enter, check the phone number from which you received the call, particularly the area code. Visit http://www.bennetyee.org/ucsd-pages/area.html to get a listing of area codes
The most recent calls in southeastern Indiana originated from area code “876,” a Jamaican area code. Police warn residents to beware of area codes outside of the United States.
The actual Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes winners are never contacted by phone and they do not have to pay any money up front to receive their cash prize.
