BCSO warns against crook disguised as Publisher’s Clearing House rep

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office Crime Prevention Unit is warning people to look out for any suspicious phone calls from scammers posing as representatives with Publisher’s Clearing House.

If you’ve ever received a call from an unfamiliar number you may want to listen to this.

“A resident came into the office today and said she had been approached by someone claiming to be with Publisher’s Clearing House, but of course, they weren’t with Publisher’s Clearing House,” said Captain George Meadows.

According to him, that someone was a man going by the name Patrick Gomez.

“The scammer went through a long spiel about needing money up front which is typical of a scam of this type,” he told 41NBC.

He called the Macon woman telling her she’d won a big prize.

“In this case you say you’ve won $3.5 million, a brand new car, and he was very meticulous about it. He said do you want it public or private, made it very believable,” he described.

But she needed to send him money first in order to claim it.

“His catch was that we can do all this for you if you’ll just send us $645 up front to cover the cost,” he said.

It’s a classic scenario for scams like this one and a dead give away to investigators who see it happen all the time.

“Publisher’s Clearing House never calls, they never email the people that are winners, and they never ask for money up front,” Meadows said.

He wants people–especially the elderly–to be more cautious and keep a general rule.

“If it sounds to good to be true it probably is,” he explained.

Publisher’s Clearing House has a page for tips and facts to help people avoid scams like this one. It shows how the contest works and what to look for if a scammer is calling. Click here to see the page.