A few nights ago, just as he was sitting down for dinner, Stan Riddle received a call that could have changed his life. 

The caller, who called himself Dave Anderson, claimed to represent Publishers Clearing House (PCH) and congratulated Riddle on winning the grand prize in their latest sweepstakes.

“He went through the whole rigamarole – that I’d get $6,500 a month, a new Mercedes in my choice of either gray or white, and all sorts of positive things,” Riddle said. 

But for Riddle, who lives at La Posada in Sahuarita, a few things weren’t adding up. The caller had an accent that made him difficult to understand, and Riddle couldn’t recall entering the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes anytime in the last decade. 

“I entered that contest once, maybe 20 years ago, and that was enough for me,” Riddle jokes.

When “Dave Anderson” called the next morning to confirm some information in order to deliver the prize, Riddle had a few questions.

“First, since the PCH sweepstakes are still going on, how have I won first prize when I haven’t even entered? And second, how long have you been involved in this scam?”

The caller immediately hung up.

Sweepstakes scams

Ira Cochran, a volunteer with Green Valley’s Sheriff’s Auxiliary Volunteer Scam Squad, said he’s seen these types of sweepstakes scams before and doesn’t think they’ll stop anytime soon.

“They tend to ramp up around anticipated award dates, so usually around the end of each month, but it’s constant,” Cochran said.

Fortunately, Riddle recognized the scam before any personal information was compromised, like his Social Security number or bank account, but Cochran said that’s not always the case.

“We do have a fair amount of local residents still falling for this stuff, these types of phishing scams,” he said.

Here’s how they typically work: Imposters, sometimes claiming to be Publishers Clearing House, will contact victims via email, phone or  a direct message on social media to tell them they’ve won a prize.

Sylvia Bencomo, who also volunteers with the Scam Squad, says this type of scam can be particularly ruthless because it’s emotionally manipulative.

“Of course, hearing someone say, ‘You’ve won!’ really gets your heart going, and it’s easy for all common sense to go out the window when you get a call like this. That’s exactly what scammers are looking for,” she said.

Are You Getting Scammed?

If you receive a “win” notification from Publishers Clearing House, pause and ask yourself a few questions:

Do you remember entering the giveaway? You must have entered the giveaway to be eligible to win.

Is the sender really the Publishers Clearing House? Be sure to check the email address, name or telephone number against the PCH information available online, and remember that PCH does not notify its major giveaway winners in advance.

Is the sender asking for money, a credit card number or bank account number? No payment, fee or tax of any amount is ever required to claim or receive a prize in any PCH giveaways.

 If you’re still unsure, Publishers Clearing House has a toll-free number you can call to verify any prize notification you receive from them. Call 1-877-3SWEEPS (1-877-379-3377) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to see if you’ve really won.

If you have been contacted by a PCH imposter, you can report it to PCH directly through their Scam Incident Report, or file a report with the Federal Trade Commission.

And if you have questions or concerns about any fraudulent activity or suspected scams, contact the Green Valley SAV Scam Squad at (520) 351 – 6715