An 82-year-old Lincoln man was scammed out of more than $7,000 by someone claiming to be from the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes.
The man’s daughter called Lincoln police on Monday to report that her father had been the victim of a scam. Someone claiming to represent the well-known sweepstakes company contacted the man and advised him that he was a winner.
The scammer said that taxes had to be paid on the prize. The man sent packages containing $4,000, $3,300 and $3,000 to an out-of-state address, police said.
The man’s relatives contacted the shipping company and were able to recover the third package. The man lost $7,300.
Publishers Clearing House warns consumers to watch out for criminals posing as legitimate company representatives.
“There are never any strings attached to winning a Publishers Clearing House prize,” according to a statement on the PCH website. “We do not ask for bank account information. There is no processing fee, tax or special handling charge required to win and our prizes are delivered free of charge to the winners.”