Phony PCH Sweepstakes Targets East Texans

TYLER — The Better Business Bureau reports a spike in calls about a Publishers Clearing House (PCH) scam that’s seeing a resurgence across the country this summer — including East Texas. BBB urges you to verify the legitimacy of any supposed winnings and reminds you never to pay in order to receive prize winnings.

According to a BBB news release, official looking letters displaying the PCH logo are sent to potential victims claiming the recipient has won millions of dollars in prizes. Recipients are instructed to contact a PCH claim agent right away for further instructions on how to receive their winnings. In most cases, recipients are asked to cash a check that was sent to them, then wire at least part of the funds back to the sender. Other fake PCH offers come by phone, email, or social media and claim funds are needed in advance to pay for insurance before winnings can be received. One local victim reported she was instructed to mail $10,000 in money orders to an address in Connecticut, then wire money to Jamaica. BBB and local authorities say they’re working together to investigate those involved in perpetrating this scam.

The BBB offers the following tips for sweepstakes and lottery scams: you can’t win a contest you didn’t enter; verify – but not by using a source scammers give you; don’t pay to claim your prize; and it is illegal to use the mail or telephone to play lotteries across borders. Go to http://www.bbb.org/east-texas/ for more details.