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September 14, 2021
We have received information that a resident has been contacted by phone by an unknown person purporting to be from Publishers Clearing House (PCH). The caller indicated that the resident had won the sweepstakes but had to pay the tax money up front first in order to receive the prize money. The resident did not do that and notified police instead.
If you are ever contacted by someone claiming to represent PCH, or claiming to be one of their 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!
PCH does not operate in this manner and will 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. Their “SuperPrize” is presented just the way you see it in their popular TV commercials, “live and in person” by their Prize Patrol, with balloons, a bouquet of roses and check in hand – – and with no advance notification!
Takoma Park Police would like to remind everyone to be cautious who they talk to and to never blindly give personal information or money to anyone.
More information about this scam: https://info.pch.com/fraud-protection-2/
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