PUBLISHER’S CLEARING HOUSE SCAM

Betty Murphy, of Washington, recently received two phone calls from scammers, the first caller saying she had won part of a $90 million Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes prize. Murphy recognized the scam immediately: she said the call originated from Kingston, Jamaica, but she was surprised by the amount of information they had about the area. After being told the caller’s organization had an office nearby, Murphy asked where it was located and was told “Southern Washington,” close to N.C. Highway 99 and Belhaven. The second call she received about the same subject ended in a voicemail message from a man identifying himself as “Danny Cooper.”

“Apparently, they’re very sophisticated in making sure they know where you are located and knowing what’s around you,” Murphy said.

Have you received phone calls from scammers? Often there is no way to catch or stop scammers when they operate from out of state or overseas. The only way to prevent scams is to warn others of a particular scam. If you’ve got a current scam experience to share, email us at news@thewashingtondailynews.com or call 252-946-2144. Please include your name and town of residence in your message.