Mississippi (May 12, 2020) As Mississipians are receiving their stimulus checks, con artists and scammers are trying their best to get all or part of it. Over the last two weeks BBB serving Mississippi has received numerous calls from consumers reporting that they have been contacted by or victimized by The “Publisher’s Clearinghouse scam”. “ Last week alone we had over a dozen residents that fell for this con losing on average $750 each” said John O’Hara CEO BBB serving Mississippi. “People were excited to think they won millions of dollars and a new car.” This scam can be too tempting to resist for some Mississippians.
How the Scam Works:
You receive a call informing you that you've won the Publisher's Clearing House (PCH) Sweepstakes. Then they tell you they are on the way to your house with the money and a new Mercedes. But there's one catch, you need to go to a local retail store and buy anywhere from $500 to $1500 in gift cards to pay the taxes on your winnings before they pull up to your residence with your prize.
Sound too good to be true? That's because it is. This scam has nothing to do with Publishers Clearing House. Once you call them back and give them the numbers on the gift card they are gone and so is your money. BBB advises consumers that you never have to give money to receive prizes and/or winnings. If this was a legitimate prize the company would not be asking for money upfront. Contact Publisher’s Clearing House directly to enter or find out about scams related to their contest.
Lottery and sweepstakes scams are common. Here are tips to avoid them:
https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/16923-bbb-tip-sweepstakes-lottery-and-prize-scams
To find out more about other scams or report a scam check out BBB Scam Tracker
