A Port Orange man thought he’d become rich overnight, but a closer examination of the Publishers Clearing House notice he received in the mail uncovered a well-written scheme to defraud, not a cash prize.
The letter -- complete with the Publisher’s Clearing House logo and a list of sponsors including Readers Digest, J.C. Penny, Walmart and Mega Millions-- proclaimed Adrienne Owen a second-place winner.
According to a Publishers Clearing House supervisor, PCH doesn’t have a second place cash prize and anything “over $10,000 is delivered by the Prize Patrol.”
Owen sent a copy of the letter and the enclosed $6,500 check to the News 6 studios for a closer look.
The check is written on an account from Wisconsin-based Navitus Health Solutions LLC, described as a pharmacy benefit company on the company’s web site, not a prize patrol affiliate.
The letter lists Peter Brown as the chief financial officer, which is another red flag of a scam because Brown is not a CFO with Publishers Clearing House.
The letter is the latest work of imposters circulating bogus prizes around the country since 2014.
According to PCH there are smaller cash prizes ranging from $600 to $10,000 but consumers never pay a fee to become eligible to receive their winnings.
The Ripoff Report lists 529 consumer complaints citing similar schemes that involved Publishers Clearing House.
"I was contacted by James Potter that I had won the $3.5 million publishers clearing house prize along with a 2018 Mercedes," one consumer wrote on April 16. "I just needed to go the Walmart and send the $850 tax in order to get the prizes sent.”
In the letter sent to Owen, it suggests state and federal law bans discussing your prize with “third parties.”
For more information visit the Federal Trade Commission website at consumer.ftc.gov.