New Publishers Clearing House Scam Reported In Minnesota

Scams are absolutely nothing new. It seems everyday there is another one we have to be worried about. I just learned of another one, which is a common scam with a new twist that has been reported in Minnesota.

We have all heard about Publishers Clearing House scams. They have been going on forever and yet, scammers are still finding new ways to use the old scam and make it new reinventing the wheel.

This particular scam was reported in Winthrop, Minnesota which is about three hours from the Twin Ports. Truly, this scam could happen anywhere and if it is already reported in Minnesota, there's no telling where it could pop up in the state next.

The Winthrop Police Department warned of this scam on social media Thursday (January 12th), writing that they received many calls from people in the area over the past twenty-four hours.

According to the Winthrop Police Department, the scammers are calling people in the area and using the all too common ruse of pretending to be with the Publishers Clearing House. They tell the person that answers the phone that they won a new car and a big sum of money.

From there, these scammers use another common ruse, telling the "winner" that they need to go purchase gift cards to pay for the shipping of the prizes. Considering that one of the prizes is a car, they likely ask for a big chunk of change.

We all know what happens from there. The person on the other end of the line falls for the scam, goes and purchases the gift cards, sends them off and aren't able to reach the scammer or get their money back when they realize something is a scam.

It goes without saying that you should never give out your personal or banking information over the phone. If someone is asking for you to purchase something via a gift card, you should know that it is a scam, no matter how legitimate it seems.

By the way, if you have any information on this scam or are a victim yourself, the Winthrop Police Department asks you to reach out to them. You can call them at 507-647-5500.

These types of scams are so common that it was even featured on a recent episode of Blue Bloods. In the episode, the patriarch of the family runs into an old friend in the store buying gift cards. He realizes she is being scammed and tries to track the scammer down. She lost thousands in the episode!

Television aside, scams are as common as ever, especially those targeting the elderly. Just a week ago, there was another scam being reported in Wisconsin. This one also targeted the senior community.