~ Jon James
This was a first.
This morning my wife and I each received a video call from someone claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House and saying he had a check for us and a new car and they wanted to deliver it to us at our home.
I missed the phone call but she answered hers. He knew her name. Creepy.
Not looking at the camera (and the caller’s was off), my wife asked, “where do I live?”
He couldn’t answer that. He wanted our physical address so we asked where he was calling from and he answered, “Awkist.”
“Spell that for us.”
“A-U-G-U-S-T-A,” he replied.
I asked him where he was in the city and said, “near Walmart.”
I asked him what other stores were near by and got a little antsy and ignored the question.
I told him we wanted to meet him as we were coming to town and he said that it “has to be delivered to your address.”
When my wife asked him how much money this would cost us he got a little agitated and swore we didn’t have to pay for a prize.
Eventually, he got fed up and ended the call. I wish I had recorded the audio.
The voice had a foreign accent and the name came up as a gmail address with the name, “David Church.”
Many people fall for these things every day but, like you’ve always been told, if it seems to good to be true, it likely is.
Publishers Clearing House has this to say at its website:
Publishers Clearing House — Protect Yourself from Imposter Scams
At Publishers Clearing House, we care deeply about protecting consumers. Unfortunately, scammers continue to misuse our well-recognized name and pretend to be from the “real” PCH. These imposter scams can come through phone calls, emails, letters, social media messages, or other channels — but the goal is always the same: to trick you into believing you’ve won a prize and then demand money or personal information.
Remember: The real Publishers Clearing House will never call you or ask you to pay money to enter or claim a prize. No purchase or fee is ever required to enter or win.
How to Report a Scam
To make sure your report goes straight to the right place, we direct all consumers to file scam reports directly with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC is the official government agency that tracks and takes action against fraud.Click the following link to be redirected to the FTC’s reporting portal: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
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