The Edmonton Police Service has issued a warning about a scam involving a fake publishing house claiming to be Publisher’s Clearing House.
EPS says it received eight reports of seniors who fell victim to the scam between January and October of 2022.
The scammers reportedly called the victims, and then sent a flyer informing them that they had won money, houses, or vehicles.
The victims were required to pay a “fee” to receive their prizes.
The fees were requested in the form of bank drafts, wire transfers and prepaid gift cards.
In some of the cases, the victims were asked to hide cash inside magazines and send them by Purolator.
The largest loss reported in the scam is $300,000.
“This scam seems to be somewhat effective because it is using the name of a real company that used to be quite well known for giving away prize money,” Det. Mona Gill, EPS Investigative Response Section said in a written release. “Whenever you receive a phone call asking for personal information or funds, always fact check the caller’s claims. Hang up the phone, look up the organization the caller is claiming to represent, and call the company yourself.”
Anyone who has information about the scam or may have been a victim is asked to call EPS at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
The EPS also has a website with information about how to spot a scam.
