Be Wary of Scammers
Dear Friends & Neighbors,
100 Dollar Bills (presented at WindermereSun.com)
(Please click on red links & note magenta)
I was woken up at 4:30 am, by a call from some one with a Jamaican accent, telling me I’ve just won $25 million from Publishers Clearing House.
Have you been:
- getting phone calls from people who claimed to be from Publishers Clearing House (or any other sweepstakes), that you have won $2.5 million or $25 million dollars?
- receiving a notice in the email claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House and that you have won a sweepstakes prize?
- receiving a prize notification letter along with a check from Publisher Clearing House to cover expenses?
- getting calls from people claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House, telling you that you have won $10 million and you have to pay 1% in taxes before they release the prize?
I and some of our readers/viewers did receive call or email of such type. But we were not in ecstasy with the news (not because we were not impressed by the possibility of becoming $25 millionaire). Allow me to explain why, below:
Often time sweepstakes scammers disguise themselves as legitimate companies that really do offer huge prizes, such as that of Publishers Clearing House. It is up to the consumers themselves to figure out whether or not the message they’ve received was from a scammer. Here are some tips that would help you to spot Publishers Clearing House (PCH) scam because PCH:
- Does not email or call its big winners: according to PCH web site,”All PCH prizes of $500 or greater are awarded by either certified or express letter or in person by our famous Prize Patrol at our option.”
- Does not ask for your address, bank account number, drivers license number, or any other confidential information when you first enter. You may have to fill out an affidavit to verify eligibility if you win, but not when you first enter or when you are first notified that you are a winner.
- Does not require you to pay to receive a legitimate PCH win. You never have to pay to receive a sweepstakes prize, from PCH or any other company.
- Sometimes scammers would hand you a check and ask you to send back some of the money to make it appear as though you’re not “really” paying for your prize. But if the check the scammer hands you is not legitimate, you’ll be left holding the bill. Read about Fake Check Scams.
To further confirm and verify, be sure to check out these links below:
- Warning Signs of Sweepstakes Scams for more information.
- How To Contact Publishers Clearing House
So, next time, if you will be the one getting that phone call from a scammer at 4:30 am, you can tell the scammer to give $25 million to some one else so you can go back to sleep.
During the season (after Hurricane Harvey, Irma, Maria, etc.) of giving and receiving, it is a good idea to give with a compassionate heart while making sure your compassion is well placed and protected. So, in addition to donating your time, water, canned food, old clothes, be sure to donate your monetary contributions with credit card or PayPal, for if the organization you contribute to does not fulfill their end of the promise or provide you with a receipt, you may get your money back afterward. We are living in a time when modern technology will be enforcing honesty and integrity quickly and easily. Those who abide by rules of honesty will prosper.
Gathered, written, and posted by Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker
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