Police warn of scam
The Marquette County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint of a possible sweepstakes telephone scam. An unknown caller from a 1-888 number advised a Republic Township resident that she had won a million dollar sweepstakes contest. The caller identified himself as being a representative of Publisher’s Clearing House (PCH), in Las Vegas, Nevada.
He then advised the resident that she had won a million dollars and wanted to set a date and time for an individual to appear at her residence to be awarded the prize. The caller also stated that all she needed was a “Money Pack” or “Money Order” for approximately four hundred dollars. When the Sheriff’s Deputy called the number, although the recorded message was professional sounding, once a person answered the phone she stated that this number was a private residence and hung up, even though the recorded message said that this was “Publisher’s Clearing House.” Publisher’s Clearing House does not notify winners via telephone and will NEVER request any kind of payment from a winner to claim any prize. PCH also confirmed that they have no offices in Las Vegas Nevada.
Residents are reminded to use caution when dealing with unfamiliar telephone numbers and unsolicited contacts.
If you have received a PCH call, you can file a complaint with PCH Fraud Hotline at 1-800-392-4190.