Joy Boone can’t believe what happened to her 84-year-old mother.
Boone said scammers convinced her mom who lives in Montgomery County, Maryland, to give them $120,000.
Montgomery County police confirmed to WTOP that the incident was reported, and said detectives are investigating.
“I just feel like she just got brainwashed,” Boone said of the incident.
It started with a phone call from someone claiming to represent Publishers Clearing House, according to Boone. She suspects this is a sweepstakes scam — when people are contacted by impostors who tell them they’ve won a prize, even if they haven’t entered a contest, and must pay to claim their winnings.
“They instructed her that she would need to pay taxes on her earnings,” Boone said. “That it was going to be $92,000 in taxes.”
According to Boone, her mom got a $92,000 cashier’s check and deposited it into a local bank.
“They also told her that when her bank questioned her as to why she was taking out so much money that she should tell them she’s having home improvements,” Boone said. “She lives in a rental apartment.”
Then, Boone said, her mom received a second call and withdrew an additional $30,000.
Boone described her mother as “very social” and “very active,” adding that their loved ones are “shocked” that she appears to be the victim of a scam.
In a statement to WTOP, Publishers Clearing House Vice President of Consumer and Legal Affairs Chris L. Irving said his company takes “these matters, where our good name and reputation is being used very seriously and it causes us great concern for the consumers who are victimized.”
Irving said PCH has “a comprehensive program of education and enforcement to combat these scammers,” which includes “comprehensive anti-spam education” on its website, customer service line, in mail and in regular outreach to consumers.
Above all, Irving said individuals should remember “that at Publishers Clearing House, or any legitimate sweepstakes, no purchase, payment, order, tax or fee of any kind is ever necessary to collect a real prize.”
If someone tells you that you have won a prize but that you have to send money to claim it, Irving said, you should “hang up the phone, rip up the letter or delete the email/social media post” and then contact local law enforcement.
