We've reported on fake sweepstakes scams in the past, and an Inkster man emailed tips@wxyz.com recently after being hounded by a scammer for weeks. He almost fell for the scheme, thanks to a new twist in the scam where imposters pretend to be from Publishers Clearing House.
Watch Alicia's report below
Wiliams Bezverkov of Inkster received a call last month from someone claiming to be with Publishers Clearing House, congratulating him on winning millions.
“A giant check for $2,800,000, $5,000 a week for life, and a 2026 Porsche -- I forgot what the name of what it was -- but it's a SUV, all-wheel drive," Bezverkov said.
Bezverkov told the man he had not entered any sweepstakes. That's where the twist comes in; the impostor claimed certain retailers where William had shopped had entered on his behalf.
“Dollar General, Family Dollar, Walgreens, CVS, and I think Walmart," he told me. “And I hadn't been to any of those in a month at least, except for Dollar General.”
Since he'd shopped there recently, he thought this sweepstakes win might be real.
“And then (he) said, ‘Oh, and there's one more thing. We're going to need $500 for some kind of license to be able to bring the prize from out of state into the state of Michigan,’” Bezverkov recounted. "(I replied) “Can't you just take some money out of my winnings?’ He said, ‘No, no. That's not how it works.’”
The guy then asked William if he had Cash App to send the money. I asked him if any alarm bells went off in his head at that point.
“Well, yeah, when he asked me for $500 to give me how many million," Bezverkov replied.
Thankfully, William did not send any money. He emailed tips@wxyz.com to let us look into it.
Troy Baker with the Better Business Bureau told me that Publishers Clearing House is very clear: the winnings at Publishers Clearing House are always free, and you never have to pay to claim a prize.
If you are targeted by a Publishers Clearing House imposter scam, it's important to:
- Report it to local law enforcement, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Publishers Clearing House Fraud Protection Page immediately
- Report it to your financial institutions or credit cards if you sent money or shared information with the scammer
- Report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service if you received scam letters or packages in the mail
- Report it to the BBB Scam Tracker
I asked Baker why he thinks this impostor scam keeps bubbling up to the surface.
“People get those dollar signs in their eyes," Baker said. "They start to dream about all the ways their life is going to change. And they start to ignore those red flags.”
And the scammers can be persistent or even harassing.
“How many times has this individual called you in the last few weeks?” I asked Bezverkov
“15 times I think on Sunday. He called me as early as 8:30 on a Sunday and as late as 11 o'clock on a Friday or Saturday," he replied.
"By sharing your story, you're going to help other people," I told him.
"I hope so," Bezverkov replied.
We thank William for emailing tips@wxyz.com to let us know about this scam. Remember, if you've won a legitimate sweepstakes, you don't have to pay any money, taxes, or fees to get that prize.
Watch our previous coverage on sweepstakes scams
