Posted: Thursday, May 23, 2013 7:15 am
Q: I got a call that sounded like a scam. It was from someone claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House saying I’ve won money. He spoke in broken English and when I asked what it was going to cost me, he said a very small amount, but that I was going to win. I didn’t want to talk any further. He listed the closest places to pick up my winning ticket, including Wal-Mart or Staples, and said that it would cost $250 to $500. I’m thinking how many people might be scammed.
—K.M.
Answer: You were right to be suspicious.
“You are absolutely correct that this was a scam contact, and was not from the ‘real’ PCH,” said Margaret Crossan, a director of consumer affairs for Publishers Clearing House.
In an email response to SAM, she explained, “At PCH we never contact consumers in advance, or over the phone, or by email to alert them of a large prize award. At PCH the winning is always free and we never ask for payment of any type in order to collect a prize award. Our PCH Prize Patrol awards our lucky winners live and in person just the way you see in our famous TV commercials.
“Sweepstakes are free — that’s the law. If someone is being asked to send or wire money; or send a pre-paid green dot money pak card, in order to claim a prize they are being scammed.”
If you get a suspicious notification and want to check into it, PCH has a fraud hotline at (800) 392-4190. A customer service representative at that number confirmed that the telephone number you gave us was not one used by PCH.
“The area code is definitely not one of ours,” he said.
The number you gave us began with an 876 area code from Jamaica, which ATT lists as an area code often used in long distance phone scams, as well as the 809, 284 and 649 area codes. According to a report on the AARP website, about 30,000 calls are made from Jamaica into the United States each day “attempting to defraud American citizens.” The 809 and 876 numbers are often mistaken for toll-free numbers, but they are not.
PCH posts anti-scam alerts at info.pch.com under “Fraud Protection.”
“There you will find a myriad of information about these type scams,” Crossan said, “and what PCH is doing to educate and assist consumers, while fighting back against these criminals who use our name to deceive.”
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