Crime & Safety
Police: Look Out for Fake Lottery Scams
A New Carrollton woman was reportedly conned into withdrawing $8,000 for someone claiming to be from Publisher's Clearing House.
Prince George's County Police are warning residents to be on the lookout for fake lottery scams after a New Carrollton woman was recently misled by someone posing as a Publisher's Clearing House representative.
According to police, the victim received a phone call at home from a person who told her she had won $2.5 million and a new Mercedes. Before she could claim the supposed winnings, she was instructed to withdraw $8,000 from her bank "to cover taxes and fees."
The victim was then advised to purchase Green Dot prepaid cards with the funds and send in the activation numbers. She was told her prizes would be delivered upon receipt.
Find out what's happening in Riverdale Park-University Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
On May 23, the woman's bank informed the PGPD that one of its customers appeared to have been the victim of a scam. Detectives were able to cancel up to $5,500 of the cards, police said.
At least one University Park resident has been conned in a similar way before, .
Find out what's happening in Riverdale Park-University Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
According to Wynnyk, a woman sent some $8,700 to a group claiming to be the Canadian Lottery in hopes of winning a larger amount.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.