PCH scam in Pine Belt getting more sophisticated
While the odds of winning a SuperPrize in the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes were virtually nil, Carol and Bob Lindley of Hattiesburg were skeptical yet hopeful when they got the call.
"You've won the second-place prize," said the person on the phone. The person had a heavy foreign accent. "You've won $2 million and a Mercedes."
Could it be true? Bob Lindley listened to the spiel and at first was going to just hang up. But then he thought maybe, just maybe it was true, so he listened a little longer.
The man asked questions about the Lindleys' credit standing and if they had any outstanding debt.
Those are odd questions to ask a sweepstakes winner, Bob thought to himself, but it was then he knew for sure he was being taken for a ride.
Carol Lindley, who writes the Miss Hattie column for the Hattiesburg American, was the first to speak to the man purporting to be from PCH. She said she had entered the sweepstakes, so she too thought there might be a slim chance that she won.
But the Lindleys reported the scam to the Forrest County Sheriff's Department anyway.
As the conversations became more convincing — or at least that's what Bob Lindley wanted the man to think — the more the man pressed the Lindleys for personal information, including Social Security and bank account numbers.
On Tuesday, the Lindleys knew the man on the phone was hard pressed to complete the scam when a gray van pulled up in their driveway bearing gifts: a dozen red roses, a box of chocolates, congratulatory balloons and a teddy bear — just like he told them it would.
But after the prize delivery, the man called again, and pushed even harder to get the numbers he wanted. It was then the Lindleys decided to end the conversation.
After contacting the local florist that delivered the gifts, the Lindleys discovered the purchase was made with a prepaid credit card so there was no way to determine the caller's identity or location.
"There is a PCH scam going around," Forrest County sheriff's investigator Nick Calico confirmed. "It’s a scam, and the phone number they used is an inactive number located in New York."
Calico said that may not be the actual location of the caller as the scammers often use a computer app to create a false phone number that when traced goes to an inactive line.
He said he has worked with the state attorney general's office and the Department of Homeland Security on scams such as these, "but there is no way to go back in and check (the phone numbers)."
But residents can take steps to avoid becoming victims of a scam.
"Don’t give any personal information out, especially to solicitors that are calling," Calico said. "And if it sounds too good to be true, it is."
He said a person who believes they may be in contact with a scammer or have fallen victim to a scam should contact their local law enforcement agency.
Calico said most sweepstakes operators will not contact winners by phone, nor will they ask the winner for money or to disclose bank account or Social Security numbers.
The scammers often will have personal information about the person they call, making their scam more believable. Even if a person doesn't use the Internet, some of their personal information is still available online, Calico said.
He advises if a person isn't sure who the call is from, he or she should look up the company's phone number and call that company instead of using the phone number the caller gives.
"Don’t take the phone number the scammers give you," Calico said. "Make sure for yourself it is legitimate."
Don't become a victim
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood's Consumer Protection Division recommends the following to avoid falling victim to a phone scam:
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• If you won a prize, then you won it. Don’t pay any up-front fees or shipping charges or taxes.
• If it’s free, it’s free.
• Tell them to send it to you in writing. Legitimate companies will not have a problem sending you information in writing.
• Don’t be pressured into acting quickly.
• Don’t give out personal information.
• Mississippians who are interested in limiting the number of telemarketing calls they receive now have the option of registering their phone number with both state and national “Do Not Call” lists.
• For more information, visit http://www.ago.state.ms.us/divisions/consumer-protection.