Publishers Clearing House scam persists

“Congratulations! You’ve won the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes.” With those words, many lives have changed for the better, and many others, for worse — if it turns out to be a scam.

It often happens over the phone and it often targets the elderly.

You’re told you’ve won or qualified for a substantial prize, like a car, but to claim it you have to pay a fee, and are instructed to wire money to a specific account.

Lieutenant Tim Robinson of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office says it’s a persistent scam that can swindle the same person multiple times.

“They’re on the hook and they think they’re getting this stuff. And they went and did it again. They made another wire transaction of money. And the problem is once money is wired away, it’s almost impossible sometimes to find out where it went,” Lt. Robinson said.

Some tips, from Lt. Robinson: First of all, if you’ve never entered the contest, there’s no way you can win.

Second, no legitimate contest organization will make you pay a fee to claim something you’ve supposedly already won.