In Missouri, 91-year-old woman loses $250,000 in fake Publishers Clearing House scam

The woman was swindled out of nearly $250,000 after she was victimized by scammers who told her she had won $4 million in a Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes, KMOV reported.

Barb Fish, of Bel-Nor, told that scam began with a telephone call and her mother-in-law had been sending checks to cover what she believed was $250,000 in taxes from November 2019 through February 2020. Publishers Clearing House recognizes the problem of scams and even mentions them on their website. They warn customers not to send any money to pre-pay taxes and they will only notify winners of a prize via mail or in person, never on the phone.

Fish also said has contacted the FBI. The money and checks were mailed to multiple addresses all over the country. Many of the calls originated from an 876 area code, which is Jamaica.