In these cases, Nienhaus said people usually receive a letter in the mail with Publishers Clearing House’s logo and possibly logos from other businesses telling people they’ve won a sweepstakes.
The letters usually say the person won millions of dollars and include instructions on how to claim the winnings, Nienhaus said.
Nienhaus said the woman didn’t directly report the scam to the police department, however they found out about it from a neighbor.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
The sergeant said the woman wired money three separate times, including to Canada, which he added makes these cases even more difficult to solve.
“When it starts going out of the country it gets extremely difficult,” Nienhaus said.
Miami Twp. police are expecting to contact the U.S. Secret Service to assist in the investigation.
Nienhaus said if you receive a similar letter you can always contact Publishers Clearing House directly to verify if the letter is legitimate.
He also said you should always “maintain you suspicions” if you receive a similar type of inquiry.
“You will never be required to pay anything to receive your prize,” Nienhaus said.
About the Author