Law enforcement issues alert on bogus ‘Publisher’s Clearing House winner’ scam

ALBANY — Law enforcement agencies throughout Southwest Georgia are asking residents to beware of a scam that falsely claims to be associated with Publisher’s Clearing House.

On Monday, Lt. Kenneth Washington with the Sylvester Police Department said he received a call from a would-be scammer.

“Today, I received a call from a male asking me if I remembered signing up for Publisher House,” he said in a news release Monday afternoon. “I told him that he was calling me on a city of Sylvester, Georgia, Police Department phone. The person hung up the phone. When I called the number back at (876-793-9892), the answering machine advised that the person was not available.”

Washington added that someone will call a person claiming to be from Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes, tell the individual he or she is a winner, and tell the individual he or she will need to send the company a certain amount of money to cover taxes in order to receive the sweepstakes winnings.

Lt. Lee Dunston, with the criminal investigations division at the Tifton Police Department, said last week he had heard of similar incidents happening to residents in that area.

“A phone call is received by the victim telling them that they have won $950,000 in the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes,” Dunston said. “However, before they can get it, they have to pay the required taxes. The first victim was told $950. The second victim was told $800 for federal and $800 for state of Georgia. The man stays on the phone with them while they get a MoneyGram and gets it processed. Needless to say, they are out of their money as soon as that happens.”

Police are asking those who receive such calls to hang up the phone, to disregard and delete any received emails from such sources, and to report it their local police department.