Crystal Lake residents are reporting receiving phone calls from Publishers Clearing House (PCH) advising they have won millions of dollars but they must first send a specified amount of money via a wire transfer.
Please note the following excerpt from the PCH website:
At PCH the Winning is Always Free!
At PCH the winning is always free and you NEVER have to pay to claim a prize award. Recognizing the difference between legitimate sweepstakes and other types of offers that may not be legitimate will help you protect yourself and your family.
If someone contacts you claiming to be from PCH, and tells you that you’ve won a prize award – then asks you to send a payment or money card in order to claim the prize – STOP! You have not heard from the real PCH.
http://info.pch.com/consumer-information/fraud-protection
Please kep in mind the community is continuing to report they are receiving automated telephone calls, on either a land-line or cellular telephone, from a caller claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service. The caller claims the person receiving the call is subject to legal action regarding their taxes, and instructs them to immediately contact an agent at another telephone number to resolve the matter.
Please remember calls of this nature are fictitious and are part of a scam. Residents should not respond to such calls, emails, or text messages they may receive. The IRS is aware of such criminal activity, and has issued a warning against scams like this.
If you feel you have been the victim of a scam, contact your local police department and file a report as soon as possible.
Contact your friends and family who may not have received warnings such as this, and caution them about releasing any personal or financial information to anyone they are not certain should have it.
More information is available on the IRS website at:
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Scam-Phone-Calls-Continue-IRS-Unveils-New-Video-to-Warn-Taxpayers
