Publisher’s Clearinghouse Scam

DATE & TIME: 04-07-2020 @ 11:15 am

LOCATION: Liberty, Nebraska                    

OFFENSE: Publisher’s Clearinghouse Scam

CASE #: 2020-1558

Two residents of Liberty, Nebraska notified an investigator for the Gage County Sheriff’s Office of a scam phone call they had received on April 7, 2020. A suspect, who identified himself as John Baker and spoke with an accent, called them from 876-368-8412 and told them they had won the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Lottery and a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe. He provided a detailed litany of requirements and processes to claim their reward, such as a claim number, check number, and other details.

They were advised they needed a “Government Claimers Card” and could obtain that from the local post office, Dollar General, Wal-Mart, or some other cognate type of business. The suspect said they could then provide the redemption information on the back of the card to him. He was referring to obtaining $300.00 or more in gift cards, which if given the redemption information, those could be cashed nearly anywhere in the world.

The Liberty residents quickly became cognizant this was a scam and did not provide the suspect with any personal, financial, or personal information. They did not suffer any pecuniary loss, but wanted to make the sheriff’s office aware of the attempted scam so the public could be alerted about the resurgence of this type of scam.

The Gage County Sheriff’s Office urges residents to not provide personal, financial, or confidential information to unknown person via any medium (phone, mail, Internet, et al). Be wary of financial rewards that seem to good to be true. If you have any concerns or want to report a scam or attempted fraud, contact your local police department or call the Gage County Sheriff’s Office and ask to speak with an investigator.

Sheriff Millard “Gus” Gustafson #903

Investigator T. Hanson #90310