The Richland County Sheriff’s Department has recently taken a fraud complaint in which the victim received a phone call informing them that they had won the “Publisher’s Clearing House” prize. The prize included $2.5 million dollars, a 2019 Mercedes Benz, and a duffle bag with $400,000 in cash. The male party that called stated that the victim needed to send $753 to claim the prize and register the new vehicle.
The victim, recognizing this as a scam, contacted the Sheriff’s Department to report it prior to sending any money. Law enforcement contacted the Publisher’s Clearing House Scam Hotline and it was determined that this was an attempted fraud.
Sheriff Bindl advises the public to contact the Sheriff’s Department if they feel they are being scammed, and to not send any money to claim any “prize”. Publisher’s Clearing House also encourages the public to report any fraudulent behavior using their name at 1-800-392-4190